Perfect Fit
by Scented Candles
Summary: They inhabit a life of leisure and luxury. Kaoru Kamiya loves Kenshin Himura, but she’s not sure about how he really feels about her. A boy comes, he is dark, brooding and mysterious and Kaoru finds herself thrown into situations where she has to spend ti
1. Default Chapter

**Title**: Perfect Fit

**Disclaimer**: Rurouni Kenshin and all it's characters do not belong to me. I am just borrowing them for a little while.

**A/N**: This is second RK fan fiction. Also set in AU. I noticed that there're a lot of people who like **Aoshi/Kaoru **and there's really not a lot of A/K out there so I'm dedicating this one to those lovable characters. If you guys know any good A/K stories please tell me because I like reading 'em as much as the K/K ones. /Hehehe/ ;-P

**Pairings**: this is sort of a love triangle between Kenshin, Kaoru and Aoshi…with the others thrown in the mix.

**Premise**: They inhabit a life of leisure and luxury. Kaoru Kamiya loves Kenshin Himura, but she's not sure about how he really feels about her. A boy comes, he is dark, brooding and mysterious and Kaoru finds herself thrown into situations where she has to spend time with him and gets to know him better.

**Reminder: **In Japan there are three levels in high school; freshman, junior and senior. Freshmen are mostly sixteen year olds and so on…

Chapter One: A Lot Can Happen In A Day

"Did you know that there's a new guy in school?"

"A new guy?" Kaoru asked distractedly as her eyes scanned the cafeteria for Kenshin. She'd dropped by his classroom but he'd already gone. She had brought a bento box to share with him in what she hoped would be in intimate picnic of sorts for the two of them. She didn't cook it of course. She didn't want Kenshin or herself to die of food poisoning.

The cook at the Kamiya House had taken care of the preparations.

Not that she didn't try to offer her help but Cook had realized long enough that even though her young mistress loved good food, she wasn't very good at making them.

"Yeah, I passed by him at the hallway on my way over here. He was coming out of the Guidance Counselor's office. He was really cute and…" Misao pouted, noticing her friend's distraction. "Are you looking for Kenshin?" the younger girl inquired.

"Uh…yeah. I brought lunch for him."

Misao burst out laughing. "Maybe that's why you can't find him. He's hiding from you."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "It wasn't my fault he got sick the last time I cooked for him." Kaoru's ineptitude at cooking was a long-standing source of hilarity for her friends. "Besides, Cook prepared this lunch. She won't even let me come near the kitchen anymore."

"I don't really blame her. Not after that poisonous disaster you concocted. Kenshin's so nice he forced himself to finish the whole serving even though it tasted ghastly." Misao continued, remembering. "He's just so nice sometimes. _Too _nice, I think."

"That's probably because you yourself aren't very nice, that's why he seems so nice to you," Kaoru teased the younger girl to get her back for making fun of her cooking skills.

"Ha! I _am _nice," Misao declared with her usual aplomb. "In fact I'm so nice _I'll _even help you finish off that big lunch you had prepared," she said eyeing the huge bento box. "Do you swear that you didn't make that yourself?"

Kaoru huffed. "I didn't…I didn't…" she insisted as she cast one glance around the cafeteria once more.

"If you want to find him so much, why don't you just call him on his cell?" Misao suggested, taking the bento from Kaoru and starting to head for the courtyard within their school.

Toyotama Private School was located in one of the most affluent districts in Japan and is one of the most expensive schools in the country, as well as one of the largest. The school was well know for its unique integration of all four level of learning from Elementary, Junior-High, High School to University in one huge campus. Within the campus was a large courtyard with trees, gazebos, fountains, picnic tables, flower beds, benches and statues, there was even a playground for the elementary students to play in, complete with swing-sets and monkey bars.

It was virtually a perfect spot to hang out and eat lunch in.

"I tried but he's so absentminded sometimes I think he left it at home," Kaoru said with a sigh as she followed Misao. "So what was this you were telling me about the new guy you saw?"

Misao shook her head, "Never mind…I think you have to see him to believe it."

OOOOO

"Wow! That sure was a great lunch," Sanosuke declared as he collapsed on the grassy ground of the courtyard. He, like a lot of the other students, liked eating lunch there because it was much more relaxing than just sitting around inside the cafeteria. Sanosuke folded his hands under his head and squinted up at the white, fluffy clouds drifting lazily in the clear blue sky. "Not bad, Megumi."

Megumi was in the middle of urging Kenshin to take more rice balls. She arched an eyebrow at Sanosuke, "If I had known you'd be joining Ken-san and me, I would have prepared a special lunch for you."

"That nice of you," Sanosuke said, surprised. Usually, Megumi declared that she'd rather die than do him any favors. Okay…so maybe it was his fault because he continually called her a fox but really if you looked closely, she kind of did. Besides, Sanosuke thought foxes were cute so what was the big deal anyway?

"I'd even sprinkle a special ingredient just for you."

Kenshin was noticing the naughty light dancing in Megumi's eyes and he knew she was up to something.

Sanosuke lifted himself up by the elbows and glanced at Megumi, "Really, what's that?"

"Rat poison."

"Very funny Fox Face."

"Chicken Head…"

As the quiet meal degenerated into a farce, Kenshin found himself wondering how Kaoru was.

Kenshin had met Kaoru two years ago when he'd moved in with his guardian Seijuuro Hiko whose house was right next door to Kaoru's. Kaoru had been in junior high then and Kenshin was starting as a freshman in high school. Now after two years, he was a senior and Kaoru a junior and he had developed a strong fondness for her. The two of them mostly ate lunch together along with their other friends. Today wouldn't have been any different if Megumi hadn't come up to Kenshin and invited him for a private picnic. Normally Kenshin would have declined and asked Megumi to join him and the others instead, but Sanosuke had been there and his friend had insisted he accept Megumi's offer.

"I'm sick of the food they're serving in the cafeteria anyway…" Sanosuke had said.

"I made this food to share with Ken-san _alone_," Megumi protested, frowning at Sanosuke. Megumi Takani was, by far, one of the prettiest girls in Toyotama Private School and she knew it. So even though Sanosuke was one of the school's athletic heroes (he was the captain of the football and basketball team) and a known heartthrob, she had no qualms letting him know that his presence wasn't desired.

"That's fine, I'm sure Kenshin won't mind sharing his portion with me," Sanosuke said, throwing an arm around the redhead and grinning at Megumi.

The girl glowered at him and Sanosuke glared right back.

"Well Megumi-san, Sanosuke is right, I really don't mind sharing…" Kenshin hedged.

Megumi's demeanor became one of sweet affability as she looked at Kenshin, "Oh that's okay Ken-san you won't have to share with Sano, we can share _my _portion," Megumi smiled had smiled at Kenshin and tugged him forward, Sanosuke trailing after them.

OOOOO

He walked in an immediately had everyone's attention.

The first thing they noticed was his size. He was tall with a lean athletic build, his muscles well defined but not bulky. Even his school uniform couldn't quite hide that fact.

And then they noticed the hair falling over his eyes, framing a face that was almost beautiful in a way. It had an almost feminine slant to it but the cold grace and elegance of his sculpted features had a decidedly masculine appeal.

His eyes were deep blue that were partially hidden by his dark bangs. It was rather hard to read his expression not only because his hair obscured his eyes but also because his features were arranged like an indifferent mask.

There was a dark brooding energy about him, like he had his own personal chill factor, a cold wind that slapped everyone awake just by his mere presence.

Aoshi scanned the crowded cafeteria and not for the first time did he wish that he were anywhere but there. At least at his old school people knew him well enough to know he didn't take to being stared at.

At least not so brazenly

He could feel people's eyes trained at him, like little needles poking at his skin. What was so damned interesting anyway? Didn't they have better things to do?

Didn't they know it was rude?

He considered just turning around and ditching lunch, but he was hungry. He sighed and grabbed a tray. This was going to be a long day.

OOOOO

Misao and Kaoru had just finished a big lunch and were headed back for the High School building when they spotted Sanosuke's unmistakable spiked hair. He was Kenshin's best friend and could normally be seen with the redhead.

"Oi Sano," Misao called out as she and Kaoru hurried after him.

Sanosuke heard them and turned, stopping to wait for the two. "What's up?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Did you see where Kenshin went? I didn't see him at lunch." Kaoru said.

"Sure. Last time I left him, he was with Megumi. She made this picnic thing for him." Sanosuke said rolling his eyes.

There was no change in Kaoru's expression but Misao noticed that the older girl transferred the bento boxes behind her so Sanosuke wouldn't notice.

"Are you sure?" Misao asked Sanosuke.

"Sure I'm sure, I was there." Sano shrugged. "The food wasn't so bad either. At least it was edible, not like you're cooking Kaoru…" Sano laughed good-naturedly.

Kaoru's eyes narrowed her temper igniting and she tapped him on the head with her open palm.

"Hey!" Sano protested, feeling his skull for a bump. After so many years of friendship, it was like a ritual for them now. Sano would tease her and Kaoru usually whacked him on the head with her palm. The thing was that Kaoru had always been strong for a girl. Even when they had been little kids and she used to chase him around when he teased her or that stupid wooden stick she practiced with. "That hurt you know! I could sustain permanent brain-damage and become a retard or something…"

"How would we even know the difference Sano?" Kaoru shot back.

Sano rolled his eyes. "As much as I like being beaten up by you, I have to go. I'll see you guys later." He threw them a back wave as he jogged off.

Misao and Kaoru watched after him, silent.

Misao spoke up after a while. "I'm sure Kenshin doesn't feel anything special about Megumi. You know him. He's always so nice to everyone, he probably just didn't have the heart to say no. Besides, Sano was there so…"

Kaoru smiled, "It's okay Misao. I know Kenshin doesn't have special feelings for Megumi. He treats every girl with the same courtesy…"

"So why did you hide the bento boxes from Sano? You should let Kenshin know that you brought him a picnic today…I'm sure he'll make it up to you…" Misao said. It was so frustrating sometimes. It was obvious her two friends cared about each other…so what were they waiting for anyway?

"I'm sure he will but…" Kaoru started walking. "I just don't want to make him feel bad. That's all."

OOOOO

"Hey I saw Himura-san with Megumi by the courtyard…"

"Really? I always thought Megumi was Sanosuke's sort of girlfriend…"

"I don't know about that but Kenshin-san is with Kaoru…right?"

A sigh. "Isn't it amazing? If she marries Himura-san, they'll have the same initials."

"I think Sano-kun is much cuter than Himura. He's taller and much more athletic…"

"I think they're both good-looking! It's good that they're best friends so we always see them together!"

Giggles.

"Don't you think Megumi-san is prettier than Kaoru though?"

"I don't! Kaoru-chan is pretty too and she's much easier to get along with."

"How would you know? Are you two close friends?"

"She just seems nicer, that's all…and she's very good at kendo."

"That's a guy's sport. Megumi-san looks more mature and is more refined that Kaoru…"

"So?"

"She is not!"

Aoshi stifled the edge to roll his eyes as he finished off his lunch and stood up to deposit the tray.

Gossip 

He really hated it. It was a waste of time and a waste of energy.

It was useless, really.

He had been the topic of a few gossip topics himself and he'd hated the attention people he didn't even know personally were directing at his life.

He walked to the hallway leading to the Guidance Counselor's office because the woman had told him to come back so they arrange a class schedule for him. The hallway was still relatively empty the one hour of lunch break still not up yet.

A girl with a long ponytail walked passed him and he was disconcerted to realize that she smelled like lavender and lilacs. He glanced at her briefly but only caught a brief impression of her face.

OOOOO

Misao was thinking about what Kaoru had said as she walked back to her classroom.

"I just don't want to make him feel bad. That's all…" 

She noticed Himura standing between a gaggle of girls who were giggling and flirting with him.

Kenshin looked decidedly ill at ease at all the attention he was receiving but he didn't tell the girls to leave him alone.

He's too nice sometimes…Misao thought to herself. She could understand why the girls liked him. He was gorgeous, almost beautiful in fact with his long titian hair and violet eyes. The X-mark scar on his cheek was actually quite dashing. Kenshin was of average height for a Japanese guy, he wasn't exceptionally tall but he was actually taller than most girls. It was just that Sanosuke was so large and he was always with Kenshin that Kenshin sometimes seemed smaller. 

It didn't make his presence any less palpable though.

It didn't detract from his appeal.

"H-hai, arigato…" she heard Kenshin say, laughing embarrassedly as a girl presented him with a gift.

How did Kaoru take it? Having her guy fawned over by everyone. If Misao had been Kaoru, she would have marked Kenshin as her territory and forbidden any girl to get close to him. Well…girls with romantic intentions anyway.

It was so obvious that he and Kaoru cared for each other. The only times Kenshin had ever seemed been truly comfortable had been when he was with Kaoru. He cared about Kaoru...Misao could see it. Most everyone at school sort of half-expected them to end up together. So what was he waiting for?

She started to march over to Kenshin to give him a piece of her mind.

And then she remembered what Kaoru had said.

"I don't want to make him feel bad…that's all…" 

Misao bit her lip and sighed before turning away. If she ever fell in love, she'd make good and sure to tell the guy her true feelings. She'd broadcast it to the world, even. It was just too complicated if you waited for things to happen on their own.

And then she thought about the new guy again a shiver running down her spine at his image. She wondered what his name was and when she would see him again.

OOOOO

Kaoru blinked and tried to force herself to focus on what the teacher was saying.

The mathematics teacher was droning on and on about things she knew she probably would not use in the future anyway.

It's not like she wanted to be an accountant or a businesswoman or anything…

It must be why her brain rebelled at learning it.

Hmmm…that's good. I should remember that and use it as an explanation when my father complains about my grades…

It wasn't really because Kaoru was slow or stupid. Her teachers actually lamented the fact that she got merely average grades for science and mathematics when her aptitude was tested at an above-average level.

It was mostly because her interests lie elsewhere and she couldn't quite force herself to exert any more effort than was actually necessary in order to pass…

Kaoru's pen made a slight rapping noise as she absent-mindedly tapped it against her notebook. She was zoning out again her mind wandering…

What did Kenshin think of her exactly?

She knew he liked her…but did he like her in _that _way?

Or perhaps he didn't like her at all.

It was hard to tell because Kenshin seemed to like everyone. He was nice to everybody.

But that was what she loved about him…right?

His good nature, his inability to tolerate cruelty towards others…

That was why she often felt conflicted. She loved it that Kenshin seemed to love the entire world…

But sometimes she wished that he would love only her.

Suddenly, the teacher stopped talking and the very silence managed to get Kaoru out of her reverie.

_Uh-oh…did I do something wrong…?_

Thankfully, the teacher was looking at the entrance of the classroom. There was a boy standing there a bit sullenly.

_Oh gosh…he's gorgeous…_was Kaoru's first thought.

And then…_He looks kind of tough…and cold…_

The boy bowed before entering and gave the teacher slip of paper, which Mr. Minami read. "Ah, so you're Aoshi Shinomori, the transfer student."

The guy was silent, waiting patiently.

His very stillness seemed to disconcert even the math teacher who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat. "Okay then…take a seat at the back of the class over there next to Kamiya."

Kaoru sat up straighter and glanced at the empty seat beside her. "Minami sensei…that's Tae's seat…" Tae Seikihara was Kaoru's best friend and she liked having her as a seatmate.

"Well Seikihara isn't here is she?" Mr. Minami retorted. "Shinomori will sit there for today and we'll just have an extra seat brought for him tomorrow. That is, if it's all right with you, Kamiya-san?" the teacher asked a little sarcastically.

Some of her classmates snickered and Kaoru felt her cheeks flame in embarrassment. "Hai sensei…"

Aoshi took the seat beside her, folding his body gracefully into the wooden chair.

Kaoru glanced at him discreetly. Up close, he was even more stunning than she had originally thought. There was something _clean _about him. Like waking up on a crisp winter day and inhaling the pure scent of snow.

It was kind of ideal since like snow, he seemed cold as well.

Her eyes widened slightly, "Oh my goodness, this is Misao's _new guy_…"

OOOOO

He could smell jasmine.

It was very subtle but it floated over to him nonetheless.

Why was she looking at him anyway?

It wasn't like he _wanted _to sit beside her.

"Okay now I want you to spend the remainder of this class working on problems three up until problem nine, put your answer in a piece of paper. Work with your seatmates if you have trouble…" Minami-sensei announced as he retreated behind his desk. "You will pass the paper to me at the end of the class and it will be a _graded _seatwork."

Aoshi picked up a pencil and looked down at the workbook he'd just bought. This was way too easy. He'd already taken it up before in school.

"Mou…sumimasen…"

Aoshi looked up and glanced at his seatmate.

"Anou…I'm sorry about what happened a while ago. It's not that I have anything against you or anything like that…" she blushed, "I'm, it was just that…I was surprised. That was all."

Aoshi's brow knitted a little. What was she _talking _about?

"You know, when sensei told you to take a seat there and I said it was Tae seat…"

One dark brow rose incredulously. She was apologizing for _that_? It wasn't a big deal and it's not as if his feelings were hurt or anything.

"I'm not usually so rude…" she continued.

"Its fine."

Kaoru was in the middle of a long and winded apology to hear what he'd said.

"It's fine," Aoshi mumbled again.

Kaoru blinked and nodded. "Okay…" she tried to smile at him but he was staring down at his book again.

_Okay, so he won't be winning any Mr. Congeniality contest…_she thought to herself as she looked down at her own workbook. Still she couldn't help but peek at him one last time.

What a strange guy.

OOOOO

**A/N: **I'm not really that satisfied with this chapter…anyways it's just an introduction to the characters. This is going to be one of those teenage angst things I love so well. Please tell me what you think neh? Thank you!


	2. 02

**Title**: Perfect Fit

**Disclaimer**: Rurouni Kenshin and all it's characters do not belong to me. I am just borrowing them for a little while.

**A/N**: I just want to give a shout out to **Loretta** **Claiborne**! /falls down on knees and bows/ She's a Special Olympian who has overcome a lot of things. I just watched a movie based on her life story and I was so moved by what she's had to overcome. As a 'normal' person, we have such a blessing and it's sad that a lot of us take the little things that people like Loretta work so hard to have. /sigh/ I love that movie. It's also sad that a lot of people are mean to those they consider different.

**Pairings**: this is sort of a love triangle between Kenshin, Kaoru and Aoshi…with the others thrown in the mix.

**Premise**: They inhabit a life of leisure and luxury. Kaoru Kamiya loves Kenshin Himura, but she's not sure about how he really feels about her. A boy comes, he is dark, brooding and mysterious and Kaoru finds herself thrown into situations where she has to spend time with him and gets to know him better.

**Reminder: **There are only three levels of high school in Japan. Freshmen, Junior and Senior, freshmen are usually sixteen years old. This is set in AU so their ages are different.

**Freshmen**: Misao

**Junior**: Kaoru, Tae, Aoshi

**Senior**: Sano, Kenshin

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

"He's been here an entire week! I can't believe he's your classmate! How lucky!" Misao said jumping up and down excitedly.

"Maa, maa Misao-chan, I believe a little restraint is in order, neh?" Tae admonished gently as she placed her hands on Misao's shoulders, in an effort to contain the younger girl's bounce.

Misao grinned. "I just can't believe I can see him every time I come to your classroom!" Misao grinned.

"And here I thought you came to our classroom because you appreciate us," Kaoru said dryly as she exchanged a smile with Tae.

"Of course I do," Misao grinned. "It's just lucky you two happened to be classmates with him too. It's like hitting two birds in one stone…or something like that."

"I think its two birds _with _one stone," Kaoru corrected absently.

Misao rolled her eyes. "Hai, Kaoru-dono…"

Kaoru smirked.

"So what's he like? I bet he's really smart and cool…" Misao gushed, practically drooling.

"Well we're not sure. Tae and I aren't exactly buddies with him. I don't think he hangs out with any group from our class…" Kaoru said.

Tae nodded. "I think he scares some of the guys in our class. He's so intimidating with his eyes, and he's so tall, I heard they tried to recruit him in basketball but he turned them down."

Kaoru nodded, "Oh yeah, Sano was saying something about their team manager wanting Aoshi in the club."

Tae leaned closer to Misao, "You know Misao-chan, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to try and get close to this guy…he doesn't seem friendly at all."

"He's just quiet and mysterious, that's all," Misao defended.

"A lot of girls seem to like that type," Tae brooded. "You know, the bad boy, silent type."

"Well a lot of girls also like red-heads with a penchant for saying 'Oro'," Kaoru said with a grin.

"Especially you?" Misao ribbed.

Kaoru grinned.

"Honestly Kaoru-chan, you and Himura have been dancing circles around each other for years. When are you to going to be an, 'official' couple? You two practically play the part already, it's just a matter of admitting your feelings to each other," Misao huffed.

Kaoru's smile dimmed a little.

Misao waited, unmindful to Kaoru's discomfiture.

Tae sighed to herself. Misao was such a sweet girl but she and Kaoru sometimes shared the trait of being totally oblivious. Tae tugged playfully on Misao's braid. "And who are you to point fingers, neh? I still haven't heard your declaration of love to Shinomori-san," she said, steering the subject away from Kaoru's love life and back to Misao's. "I heard Aya Tsukiyono finds him attractive…"

Misao's spine stiffened at the mention of the beautiful freshman. "Aya Tsukiyono already has a boyfriend. He's that kendo guy…that senior…"

"Yohji Hidaka," Kaoru provided helpfully. She also practiced kenjutsu and was aware of Yohji's reputation. He was actually very good and very powerful; it was just that he lost his temper too easily. "He's been suspended a few times for brawling with other students."

"Isn't Aya in your grade Misao? She's the pretty one with the possessive boyfriend, right?" Tae asked.

"Yeah, that guy. I'm sure he wouldn't let her be involved with anyone else," Misao stated firmly. "Especially not Aoshi-sama."

Kaoru grinned, "Anyway Misao-chan, you'll still have to fall in line. I can't believe how many girls are claiming to be in love with him already. I believe they are actually forming a fan club of sorts…it's ridiculous!"

Misao flipped her long braid, "It is so not ridiculous Kaoru and I'll have you know I'm actually in the running to be the president."

Kaoru and Tae both stopped walking to stare incredulously at Misao.

"What?" Misao asked with a shrug.

* * *

The stars overhead, were brilliant; shining like diamonds in a black velvet sky. Kenshin tilted his head back and tried to map each one of them in his mind. It was times like these he could almost believe in forever.

It was quiet with only the gentle sound of lapping water as he sunk his feet into the pool, feeling the heated water cover his skin.

Hiko caught a glimpse Kenshin as he passed by the kitchen that led to the outside garden.

He walked over, sake in hand to peer at the redhead.

Kenshin seemed to be contemplating something.

The kid was way too contemplative for his own good.

All he ever seemed to do was think.

For some people that was a good thing.

For Kenshin…

It was a different story.

Hiko walked out into the garden and looked up into the sky. "The stars are brilliant today but tomorrow…who knows? The only thing that ever really stays constant in this life is the taste of good sake."

Kenshin turned to look up at his guardian.

"You know why you're not growing any taller, don't you boy?"

"Oro?!" Kenshin exclaimed, feeling his cheeks flame in mortification. Just because he wasn't humongous like Sano or Hiko, it didn't mean he was a midget. Besides it wasn't his fault his DNA lacked the 'tall' genes.

"It's all those burdens you shoulder…they keep you down so hard they've even stunted your growth."

Kenshin peered closely up at Hiko, wondering if the man was drunk.

"No matter how hard you think back…no matter how hard you wish for it…the past will never change. And each time you turn to look back, you miss what's going on in the present. Your life only goes by once, baka deshi…"

* * *

It was already late when Aoshi got home. He was wearing jeans and a simple white shirt, with his backpack slung over one shoulder. He carefully took off his shoes before entering the tiny apartment he shared with his mother and little sister.

Mameha sat by the corner of the room waiting for her son to arrive. She noticed his easy and graceful movements and felt her heart constrict with sadness.

He didn't belong in a place like this.

"I'm sorry, I know that this has been really hard for you…" she began.

Aoshi glanced over at his mother. Sometimes he was taken by surprise at how different she looked now. Growing up, he was used to seeing her primped and polished with nary a single hair out of place. Watching her now as she struggled to make ends-meet pained him more than he could ever express.

He had no one to confide in. He certainly could not tell his mother his feelings. It would hurt her and wound her pride to know that he pitied her sometimes. He kept his face expressionless as he shrugged. "It's harder for you and Amika."

"Amika is too young to be aware of what's happened. She just misses you because you rarely get to spend time with her anymore, that's all."

"I'll take her out this Sunday."

Mameha patted the space beside her and asked him to have a seat. Aoshi nodded and padded over to where she was.

She was so proud of him that her heart longed to burst sometimes. "You know, I would understand if you would rather go back to your father's house."

"No."

"Aoshi, your life is just beginning. Your future all depends on the choices that you make right now. Your father can give you a better…"

"I said no," Aoshi interrupted her quietly.

Mameha quieted and sighed. His voice had that distinct sound of finality and she knew nothing she said could change his mind. "You haven't told me much about school. Are you enjoying it?"

"It's fine."

"Are you having a hard time balancing it with work?"

"I can manage."

Mameha stared at her hands in silence as she tried to stay the tears that were threatening to fall. What was she doing to her son? She was ruining his life. Instead of being able to live like a teenager and have fun with his friends, he now worked to help support them. Even though he would never say it, she knew he probably missed their former life and the freedom it gave him. She could still remember how good he'd been in kenjutsu, all the trophies he'd won. He probably missed that most of all.

"I came with you because I wanted to. Don't think about anything else but that," Aoshi said quietly, not looking at his mother.

They were silent for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Mameha patted his thigh and gracefully stood up. "You must be hungry, I'll go fix you some dinner now."

"Arigato."

* * *

Tae grabbed a large Spongebob Squarepants pillow and rolled her eyes, studying the odd yellow creature with a critical eye. "What exactly do you find cute with this…this…thing?" she muttered.

Kaoru was sitting up with her back against the mountain of pillow propped on her headboard. She smiled at Tae's look of disgust. "I don't know…I like weird creatures. Is that a crime?"

"When I have to sleep in the same bed with it, yes," Tae said as she tossed the pillow over to the rėcamier in Kaoru's bedroom.

"Tae!" Kaoru protested with a laugh as she watched the yellow pillow miss its target and flop down on the carpeted floor.

Tae grinned, glad that the troubled look had been momentarily erased in her friend's eyes. She and Kaoru had been friends since they were little children and she'd memorized every nuance of her friend's personality and expressions.

Tae knew something had been bothering her friend for a long time now. She usually hid it well and Kaoru was such a loud, sometimes temperamental, happy-go-lucky person that people sometimes forgot that there was a more serious side to her too.

A side that bled in silence

"Hey Kaoru-chan, what's wrong?" Tae asked as she sat down on Kaoru's bed and cocked her head to the side in inquiry. "Are you having problems with your dad?"

"How can I have problems with him when I hardly see him, Tae-chan?" Kaoru said jokingly.

They had already brought Misao home and Tae was staying over to sleep at Kaoru's house to accompany her since her father was out of the country again for business.

Tae smiled in understanding. Her own father was mostly away on business but at least Tae had a mother to take care of her, Kaoru had no one but the servants to keep her company.

Kaoru was frequently left alone, in a big house.

Kaoru linked her fingers together and turned them outward, raising her hands over her head in a stretch. "I'm just being ungrateful. A lot of girls would love to have a large room, live in a big house and be able to buy everything they want…" Kaoru smiled and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry for being an ass Tae. Sorry."

"I think you should be an ass more often."

Kaoru blinked, "Excuse me?"

"You always act so strong, like you can handle everything. You know Kaoru; you act as the strength of everyone around you. Heaven knows I turned to you as my source of strength and comfort for a lot of reasons over the years…I just wish you let out the sad side of you sometimes."

Kaoru bit her lip and studied her friend's solemn expression. "I don't like being sad Tae."

"It's better than pretending everything's okay and you're happy even when you're not. So we're rich, so what? It doesn't mean that just because our parents have money, it's ungrateful if we feel bad about our life once in a while."

Kaoru smiled and reached beside her for a pillow and threw it at Tae's face. "Drama Queen!"

"Hey! Kaoru-chan!" Tae protested as she grabbed a pillow and pummeled Kaoru.

Their laughter rang out as the two girls indulged in the age-old sleep-over tradition of a pillow fight.

The sounds of their mirth did little to disperse the voiced truths that hung in the air, an omen of more truths unspoken; yet to be revealed.

* * *

**A/N: **This chapter was a long time coming, wasn't it?

Rėcamier – It's a sort of sofa, really pretty.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Review, please! Thanks! Tell me what you think, suggestions for the story and my writing style…errors…thank you so much! To all those who reviewed, thank you so much!

**WhiteRabbit5**: I think the reason why we love Aoshi/Kaoru pairing so much is because they balance each other really well. Aoshi is such a reticent guy and Kaoru is such a friendly girl…they have that opposites attract factor plus you can do a lot of clashing personality bits before they finally realize they're in love! Right? Hmmm…anyway, I don't know how to explain why A/K is such a cool pairing either, I just like 'em a lot too! ;-P Orchidaceae: Hmmm, Kaoru learning to cook. I'll try and see if I can work it in the story, I have an idea I'm toying with…oh and please review neh? Thanks! 

**Goldmund: **This is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy this and please review!

**Clemen: **Hi! I updated! Hope you liked this and please review!

**Lady Dark Angel: **Thanks for reviewing! This is the next chapter of Perfect Fit!

**TimeWarper: **Yeah, I don't like Misao/Aoshi pairings that much either. She's too…young and…well he raised her as his _daughter_. It would be weird if they all of a sudden fell in love. No offense to the Aoshi/Misao lovers, it's just that its not my cup of tea. ;-P

**Linaalasmar: **Hi there! I hope you like this next chapter of my story. Please review! Thank you so much for your encouraging words!

**Animegurl23: **It's a love triangle! Read more so you can see which way I'll go! /dances around/ hope you like this chapter!

**Alexis Barnes: **Here you are! I updated! Hope you like this chapter!


	3. 03

**Title**: Perfect Fit

**Disclaimer**: Rurouni Kenshin and all it's characters do not belong to me. I am just borrowing them for a little while.

**A/N**: Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed my story! I'm sorry this was a long time in coming but I am in the most massive writer's block right now…and I'm plotting the rest of **Belonging**. The new chapter would be out pretty soon but I'm not sure when coz it needs more tweaking. Anyway, on with the fic! Sorry if this chapter is kind of short…

**Pairings**: this is sort of a love triangle between Kenshin, Kaoru and Aoshi…with the others thrown in the mix.

**Premise**: They inhabit a life of leisure and luxury. Kaoru Kamiya loves Kenshin Himura, but she's not sure about how he really feels about her. A boy comes, he is dark, brooding and mysterious and Kaoru finds herself thrown into situations where she has to spend time with him and gets to know him better. /in case you were wondering, the dark, brooding, mysterious guy is Aoshi!/

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

"Why do _I_ even have to come?" Megumi asked grudgingly as she followed Kaoru inside the gymnasium of Seirin Private School.

Kaoru gritted her teeth. "Because we need to support the team," she answered as she captured Megumi's hand and pulled her forward. "You told Kenshin you would come help support Sano remember?"

"That was _before_ I realized Ken-san wasn't going to be with us," Megumi sighed.

"Yes well, one of his classmates asked him for a tutoring lesson for their test and he couldn't say no."

"Really Tanuki, if you don't get a move on, someone else is going to grab Ken-san away from you."

Kaoru froze, dropping Megumi's hand in surprise. She slowly turned to meet the older girl's eyes. Megumi wasn't shy about letting anyone know she liked Kenshin.

Most of the girls at school had a crush on him!

Kaoru couldn't really hate them all, not when she understood how they felt because she too, liked him.

Everyone at school said they were practically a couple.

They acted the part most of the time.

They were always together.

Kenshin was always nice to her and took care of her.

But Kenshin never really made his feelings for her known.

Not officially.

Not really.

And he was nice to everyone and took care of everyone else too.

So what made her, Kaoru, more special than anybody else?

How could anyone grab Kenshin away from her when he wasn't even hers?

"Kenshin isn't _mine_," Kaoru said softly.

"You want him to be." Megumi said as she leveled Kaoru with a look. "That's all that really matters."

* * *

"Do you think Aoshi-sama would be here?" Misao asked as she scanned the crowds filling into the gymnasium.

"Uhm, I'm not sure. He doesn't seem to be the jock type…" Tae said. "Any progress on your love life?"

Misao pouted and shook her head. "I'm always saying hi to him but he barely even registers my presence."

"I'm sorry you weren't voted president of his fan club."

"I know…but at least I'm vice-president to its not so bad…"

Tae smiled and patted Misao's hand. "Well if you really like this guy then you shouldn't give up."

"Oh I have no intention of giving up," Misao said. She spotted Kaoru and Megumi walking towards them and waved them over. "What took you guys so long?" Misao asked when Kaoru and Megumi finally found their way to her and Tae.

"Did you see how crowded this place is?" Megumi complained, brushing her arms. She glared at a guy who was checking her out until he turned away in embarrassment.

"It's a game. Of course it's crowded. There are supposed to be crowds at games you know." Misao informed her.

"I hear it's a very important game." Tae interjected as she smiled at Megumi in greeting as the older girl took the seat beside her. "Seirin has been Toyotama's main rival since the beginning right?"

Misao nodded confirming it. "Always. Actually I'm looking forward to see who's going to win. The games between Seirin and Toyotama are always exciting. Although last year, Seirin was pretty easy to beat…"

Kaoru took the seat between Misao and Tae, allowing Misao the aisle seat because the girl liked her freedom to cheer. "Every single one of our starting five members is considered one of the best in the prefecture, in their respective positions. Sano is considered a top ranking center because he's great at rebounding and is very aggressive under the hoop and he's very quick on his feet too, he has great reflexes."

Quiet descended over the gym when the announcement was made that the game was going to be starting soon.

A few minutes later, everyone cheered loudly as Sano and the rest of the Toyotama Basketball Club Members were introduced.

Kaoru and Tae had joined in the commotion, yelling out the names of the players as they jogged into the court.

Misao, being her usual self, was yelling and jumping and shouting "Go Toyotama! GO! Way to go Sano!"

Megumi rolled her eyes and wished desperately for them all to quiet down.

So ten boys would pass a round orange ball around and try to put it through a hoop…big deal.

Thankfully, the shouting and screaming had died.

Then, the rival crowd had begun to cheer at the Seirin Private School Basketball Club Members were introduced.

"Boooo!" Misao's voice rang.

* * *

The counter was ticking down the seconds before the final half of the game would come to an end and Toyotama was down by one point. Hideki Ikuma, the Toyotama point guard, managed to steal the ball from the opposing team halfway down the court.

"Oh my god, it's too far!" Tae said as she watched Hideki lob the ball and watch it fly towards the ring.

"It's not going to go in…" Kaoru predicted.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Sano jumped up high into the air and by some miracle; caught the ball and twisted his body mid-air, managing to slam the ball it into the hoop.

The game was over.

There was silence as the ring creaked protesting Sano's weight.

The ball fell with a thud on the floor bouncing once before Sano's feet hit the ground.

Toyotama had won.

Chaos erupted.

"Ahhhhh!" Misao screamed ecstatically jumping to her feet and hugging Kaoru whom she had dragged up as well in her enthusiasm. "Did you see that? Ally-Oop!"

Megumi blinked. "Do they do that often?"

"Not often enough." Tae said getting caught up in the excitement despite her self.

"They won! Oh my god, they won!" Kaoru shouted jumping up and down with Misao.

* * *

Sano was sharing victorious high-fives with his friends and teammates when he heard Misao's yell just before he felt her full weight fall on him from behind.

"Way to go Sano!" Misao enthused as she jumped on Sano's back and hugged him, hanging by his neck.

"Oof!" Sano grunted as he felt Kaoru and Tae slam at him from both sides as they hugged him too. He straightened, staggering a little at all the combined weights of Kaoru, Tae and Misao, bringing him down as they all clung to him. "Hey, hey I know you guys love me, but lighten up on the merchandise!" he laughed.

"I'll take those hugs!" Hideki volunteered, opening his arms.

The other guys on the team nodded and said they'd like hugs too.

"Hey!" Miaka, Hideki's girlfriend, protested as she elbowed him on the ribs.

"I was just kidding!" Hideki said as he threw his arms around her.

Misao laughed and got off of Sano.

"I don't have a girlfriend, and I'd like a hug from Megumi!" one of the guys said.

"In your dreams," Megumi muttered with a flick of her hair.

The guys laughed.

"Oi kitsune! You're here too!" Sano said surprised, when he noticed Megumi standing a little to the side looking mildly irked.

"I'm not here for you." Megumi said, turning to frown at Sano.

Sano shrugged. "Sure, whatever you say."

"I'm here for Ken-san," Megumi added.

"Oh hey yeah, where's Kenshin?" Sano asked as he looked around.

"One of his classmates asked for a tutoring session for their test tomorrow so he couldn't come. He said to tell you he was sorry and he'd make it up to you." Kaoru said as she touched his arm. "Your coach wants to talk to you. go ahead, we'll wait outside."

"You're coming to party at my house, right?" Sano said as he looked at Misao, Tae, Kaoru and Megumi.

The first three girls nodded.

Megumi sighed and shrugged, "Whatever."

Sano rolled her eyes.

Sometimes, that girl could really be such a pain.

* * *

The sky overhead was filled with stars and it didn't matter if it was a new moon that night and the moon was nowhere in sight. The stars' brightness alone was enough to illuminate the night sky. Sano kept the top of his convertible down despite the protests from the girls he'd driven home. He maneuvered his car up to the wrought iron gate guarding Kaoru's house. He leaned over and pressed the access code to open the gate, watching as it opened electronically.

"You really didn't have to take me home Sano, I could have asked someone to fetch me," Kaoru said when he'd parked his car in front of her house.

"I know," Sano said as he rested his wrists on top of the steering wheel.

Kaoru glanced at him and studied his profile with a small smile on her lips.

They'd been friends since they were children and even though he was a year older than he was, there were times when she felt like she was his Neesan and that she had to take care of him.

There were also times when he seemed like such an overprotective older brother that he drove her nuts.

"You did really great today Sano. You're picture's going to be on the paper tomorrow for sure."

"I was great, wasn't I?" Sano said, turning to Kaoru.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Didn't we already establish that?"

He closed his eyes and leaned back on the headrest. "Do you still remember when we were kids and we used to sit out here in front of your house and look at the fountain you used to have over there?"

"You mean you always sat out here. I was just being nice and keeping you company."

"It seems so long ago."

"You know, I always thought it was because you loved watching the water…now I see it's because of the statue of the woman with the naked breasts."

Sano laughed. "It was such a shame your father had that fountain removed."

"You were always a pervert. Even when we were kids."

Sano smiled, keeping his eyes closed.

Kaoru leaned closer and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I should go inside. Great game today Sano, I'm proud of you."

"I know. You always are."

"Not always. Only when you deserve it." Kaoru said as she got out the car.

"Neh, Kaoru…" Sano called.

"Hai?" Kaoru asked leaning over the window and looking at his profile.

"You're the only one he ever goes to voluntarily. All the other girls, they have to ask him to come. But no matter what, Kenshin always comes back to you."

Kaoru blinked, a small smile spreading over her face. "Oyasumi nasai, Sano."

Sano opened his eyes and glanced at her from the side of his eyes. "Oyasumi," he replied.

Kaoru watched his car drive away and hugged her arms to ward off the evening chill. She turned and walked over to the entrance of the house, unlocking it with her key.

* * *

**A/N: **No Kenshin or Aoshi here! /ducks rotten fruits/ Promise, next chapter our lovely boys are going to make an appearance…I think…hmmm…

**Neesan**: It's a more casual way of saying oneesan, or older sister. Pretty much like saying niichan instead of Onii-chan when referring to your older brother.

**Sano's picture on the paper: **Well, I watch SlamDunk, it's an anime about high school boys playing basketball and there was this episode where Hanamichi Sakuragi was passing out newspapers because his picture playing basketball was in the front page or something like that. I thought it would be cool if Sano's picture was in the papers too!

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. This fic isn't only going to be about Kenshin/Kaoru/Aoshi, Sano and others are going to be thrown in here too on the side.

Please review and tell me what you think neh? Domo arigato!

**Thai:** Hi! So this is the update, I hope you enjoyed it!

**Clemen: **Yeah, poor Kenshin and Aoshi. I like the angst theme, mild or otherwise.

**Alexis Barnes: **Here you go, I updated. I hope it's to your liking. Please review!

**Dagorwen of Ithilien: **Here you are, I updated!

**Flaming-Amber: **Yes, it is going to be a triangle thing fic. I love it when these two fight over Kaoru.

**Goldmund: **Thank you for the review! Yeah, I reread it and I kind of agree that the word 'omen' was too strong. I wasn't actually going for the 'foreshadowing' it was mostly about the hidden feeling of Kaoru and the secrets we all keep in our life. thanks for pointing that out and please review! I hope you like this chapter.

**GranolaBar: **I'm very glad you like my fic. Please review this chapter neh? Arigato.

**Jbella: **Hey there! Thanks so much. Your words warm my heart! /hugs/ I hope this chapter wasn't much of a disappointment. No Aoshi or Kenshin but they'll pop up soon enough! /grins/ Please review!

**BelleDayNight: **Thanks! It would really be interesting to develop the story and their characters! Thanks for inviting me to the group! /hugs/ I hope you continue to read my fics and please review this chapter! Thanks!

**Triste1: **Thank you so much! I really love reading your reviews because they are long and mostly detailed. I thank you for taking the time to read my fics and help me to improve my writing.

**WhiteRabbit5: **/nods/ I know…I love Kenshin too! I have to say, Thank You SOOO much for reading my story and for reviewing. Yup, people I think deal with things in their life in different ways but in the end, it all comes down to coping with our emotions. This is probably going to be angst/drama/romance if I can manage to write it correctly. My imagination far exceeds my ability to interpret it in words…so frustrating sometimes.

**Justagirl8225: **Thanks so much! I smiled when I read your review. You don't think they're kind of OOC here? That's good. I didn't want to be over the top because I wanted them to retain a part of their personality that drew us to them in the first place!


	4. 04

**Perfect Fit**

Standard Disclaimer Apply

* * *

They inhabit a life of leisure and luxury. Kaoru Kamiya loves Kenshin Himura, but she's not sure about how he really feels about her. A boy comes, he is dark, brooding and mysterious and Kaoru finds herself thrown into situations where she has to spend time with him and gets to know him better. /in case you were wondering, the dark, brooding, mysterious guy is Aoshi!/**

* * *

**

**A/N: to all those who reviewed. THANK YOU! (hug) **

I think it's been a long time since I updated this story so I thought I should just sit down and write since I have time and besides, I'm so sick right now, I have colds and flu and my throat is sore! Darn it! I don't want to be sick during Christmas! (sigh) to cheer myself up, I decided to write! (Hehehe) By the way, if you also read my Aoshi/Kaoru fic **Broken Angel **I'm so sorry I haven't updated it but I have now figured out the whole plot of the story in my head so I can sit back and write it so look out for that update! On with the fic!

**

* * *

Chapter Four: **

Megumi was angry.

No one stood her up!

No one!

She walked over to the gym where she knew Sanosuke would no doubt be practicing basketball with his other stupid basketball varsity friends, preening under the stupid eyes of their stupid cheerleader fans.

The door to the gym burst open with a bang and Megumi stood there like an avenging angel or an enraged goddess, her blue eyes raking through the surprised faces of the people inside the gymnasium.

Sano dribbled the ball he was holding and cocked his head to the side. "Any problem Kitsune?" he drawled lazily.

Megumi's eyes narrowed and she pointed one long, tapered finger at him. "You, outside, now," she gritted out before turning on her heels.

"Hey man, what did you do to that chick?" one of his teammates asked as he stole the ball from Sano's absentminded hands.

One of the fan girls whose sole purpose in life was to support the team, voiced out her opinion about Megumi's attitude problem.

The other girls nodded in agreement.

"She's temperamental but she's not that bad," one of the guys said.

"She sure is pretty."

"I don't think anyone at school is prettier than Megumi…"

Grace, the basketball club's manager tapped her paper fan against her wrist and frowned at the team members who had halted practice and was discussing Megumi's appearance.

The team captain, Sano, wasn't helping because he was just standing there looking amused.

She cleared her throat. "Since the coach is not here, it doesn't mean you guys can slack off practice. I'll talk to Takani-san and tell her you can't come out."

Sano shook his head and smiled, "You better not Gracie. In her current condition she might just rip you in two."

Grace frowned, "I'm not afraid of her."

"I know sweetheart. I just rather you not get hurt, is all…" Sano said with a grin.

Grace rolled her eyes at Sano's antics and jabbed her thumb towards the door. "Just go and talk to her and return before practice is over…" she muttered.

"Did you hear how Sano is? He's so cute!"

"Lucky Grace!"

"Sanosuke-san Kawaii!"

Grace sighed, hearing the girls' comments. Grace was here because she loved basketball but she'd figured out long ago that those girls occupying the sidelines wasn't here for the love of the game.

They were here for the love of looking at cute boys play the game in shorts.

She clapped her hands, telling the guys to get moving and start their basic dribbling exercises.

* * *

"It's about time," Megumi muttered, her arms crossed as she glared at Sano.

Sano shrugged and linked his hands behind his neck, gazing down at her. "What's up?"

"Where is Ken-san?"

"He went home."

This was not something Megumi wanted to hear. "Already? Did he say why?"

"Because he _always _goes home. Geeze Kitsune, what did you think? That he slept in school?"

Oh he was deliberately baiting her, damn him! She took a deep breath to compose herself, "Ken-san promised me he'd help me with some subjects I'm having trouble with. We made a date to meet today after school at the library."

Sano blinked. Megumi was one of the smartest girls he knew so her 'needing help with some subjects' was obviously a blatant lie and a ploy to be alone with Kenshin.

It was the excuse most girls used to get to spend some time alone with the redhead.

Sano felt himself become disappointed.

Somehow he'd thought Megumi would be more original than that.

"Well? Did something happen to Ken-san?" Megumi asked, her eyes now clouding with worry.

"Jou-chan is sick. He went home to take care of her."

"What?! But he _promised_ and Ken-san never breaks a promise!"

Sano shrugged and headed back for the court. "For Kaoru he does."

* * *

"Thank you Kenshin," Kaoru said sniffling as she wiped her red nose with a tissue and sat up in bed, allowing Kenshin to put the tray in her lap. He'd come earlier to give her the lesson notes she'd missed before heading for the kitchen to fix her something to eat.

Oh how long had she wished to be alone with Kenshin?

He was actually serving her food and Kaoru briefly allowed herself to fantasize that they were married and he was serving her breakfast in bed.

In her fantasies, she'd been lying in bed too, her hair slightly disheveled from sleep and he'd reach out and wake her with a gentle kiss.

Kaoru sneezed.

"Kaoru-dono?"

She'd always wanted Kenshin's entire attention focused on her.

But not like this!

"Kaoru-dono…?"

Her hair was a mess because she'd been too dizzy to do much of anything except _sleep_.

She hadn't even had a bath yet.

Good thing she'd managed to brush her teeth.

Kaoru sneezed again and covered her face with a fresh tissue she'd grabbed from the box.

She blew her nose.

Kenshin smiled and touched Kaoru's hair with his fingertips, gathering the stray wisps away from her face. He reached over for her brush and ran it through her hair gently. When the long raven mass was orderly once more, he picked up a ribbon and tied it securely behind her back.

Kaoru had kept her eyes closed the entire time, her body leaning into Kenshin's as his touch relaxed her almost into sleep.

"Kaoru-dono…"

"Hmmm?"

"Cook says you haven't eaten today. I think you should try this miso soup that I made. It would fill you up nicely."

"I'm sleepy Kenshin…" Kaoru protested as she started to slide her body back into a lying position in bed.

Kenshin propped her up against him. "No, Sessha thinks you should eat something first neh?"

He was referring to himself as Sessha again…it meant he was feeling guilty. "Why?" Kaoru asked slightly, her eyes still closed, her head resting on Kenshin's shoulder.

"Why what?"

"Why are you feeling guilty? My being sick is not because of you."

"You got chilled when you went to the game without sessha…"

"So? If you'd been there, I'd still have gotten sick. I get chilled easily but it's only colds and flu…"

It made sense but it didn't alleviate Kenshin's guilt.

"If I were stronger, I'd hit you…" Kaoru muttered as she straightened herself and grabbed the bowl from him. "Fine, I'll eat the stupid soup."

Kenshin smiled at her. "Don't sip it too quickly or you might burn your tongue."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "You'd probably blame yourself for that too, because you cooked it too hot. Really Kenshin, sometimes you are quite exasperating." She blew on the soup gently before taking a sip, hiding her smile behind the bowl.

"Sessha can't help but worry about you Kaoru-dono..." Kenshin said as he studied her with a small smile

Kaoru looked up and glanced at him feeling her heart-rate triple.

_You're the only one he ever goes to voluntarily._

_No matter what, he always comes back to you._

"Why is that Kenshin?" Kaoru asked breathlessly as she stared into his eyes.

"Because you're my friend of course!" Kenshin said.

Oh.

"My best friend," he amended when he noticed the droop in Kaoru's shoulders. "Kaoru-dono, daijoubu de gozaru?"

"Uh, hai," Kaoru said forcing a tight smile on her lips. "Daijoubu..."

* * *

"I can't believe I'm actually letting you do this! Stalking is illegal, isn't it?" Tae said as she glanced at the rows of apartments and houses they were passing by.

"I don't think so, at least not until he files for a restraining order against us…" Misao chirped excitedly from beside Tae.

Tae slated the younger girl a look. The things she did for her friends! "How did you even convince your grandfather to pull out Shinomori-san's address?"

Misao smiled. "Jiya thought it was fun! I told him that one of my friends just wanted to surprise a friend she'd lost touch with and that I couldn't tell him my friend's name because it's a secret."

Tae sighed. "I'm not sure Shinomori-san is going to like us invading his privacy."

"He won't get mad about something he doesn't know anything about," Misao said. "Besides, I'll tell him eventually…when we've been going out maybe two years."

Tae smiled. She couldn't help it. Misao's exuberance and confidence was certainly entertaining and endearing to watch. Still, she glanced out at the passing scenery feeling uncomfortable.

Did one of her classmates actually _live _in this area?

She'd never been so glad to be encased inside the safety of a car as she did right then.

This was a neighborhood she'd never visited before.

It wasn't really that bad.

It was just different, the houses smaller and a little shabbier.

Worse for wear

Some of the houses could even fit inside her house for goodness sake!

"Are you _sure _that it's the right address Misao-chan?"

Misao glanced at the taxi driver. "Excuse me, are you sure this is the address?"

"Yes it is miss," the driver said nodding after he reread the address she'd given him.

Misao glanced at Tae before looking back at Haruko. "Arigato…"

A few minutes later, the old man said, "This here is the address."

The car stopped in front of a neat three-story apartment building. It was actually better than most other buildings in the area, old but well kept and well tended.

Still, neither Tae nor Misao could really picture one of their classmates staying in such a place. They knew buildings and areas like this existed all over Japan, but it was so far from their realm of experience it might as well have been in Jupiter.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" Tae asked. "We can't just go in there and ask which apartment is his!"

"I just wanted to see where he lived, that's all…" Misao's eyes widened when she caught sight of that familiar and well-loved figure emerge from within the building.

She ducked, taking Tae's head down with her. "It's him!"

The taxi driver kept a straight face, already used to the shenanigans of young people.

"What?" Tae asked, wincing and feeling as if Misao had snapped a ligament in her neck.

"It's Aoshi!" Misao said as she peeked from the side of the cab. "Let's follow him!"

"Misao-chan!" Tae protested.

"Come on!" Misao said as she opened the door and dragged Tae out.

"Uh, miss…" the cab driver called out.

Misao blinked. "Yes?"

"Your fare."

"Oh!" Misao's face reddened in embarrassment. "Sorry," she said as she paid him.

* * *

The small diner/restaurant/café, Tae wasn't really sure what it was, was almost empty except for a put-upon looking salary-man in a cheap suit, several teenage girls from the local high school and a few weird guys who had piercing and tattoos. 

There was also a small group of rather rowdy high school boys situated near the corner who acted as if they owned the place and whose eyes kept roaming around the room, sometimes resting on Tae and Misao before leaving again.

Tae was glad she'd been able to convince Misao to at least change from their school uniforms into something more concealing.

She'd never been gladder to be wearing baggy blue jeans and a sweatshirt with the hood pulled over her head.

The whole thing was ridiculous really but she couldn't just let Misao go off into this adventure alone.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this!" Tae moaned probably for the hundredth time under her breath as she poked the burger Misao had insisted she order so as not to look conspicuous.

How that was even going to be possible with the two of them dressed and looking like rejects from the 8-Mile movie was beyond Tae.

Oh god, the burger was actually _greasy_.

She could see the oil dripping from the meat and falling down in a gross slime over the bun.

She was going to throw up.

"I'm a vegetarian," she hissed at Misao, moving the plate over to the girl and reaching for a French fry. It was nothing special, just regular French fry, if a little soggy. She promised herself a nice Vegetable Terrine when she got home.

"Look, they don't exactly serve Winter Salad with Goat's Cheese here you know," Misao said distractedly, her eyes never leaving the gorgeous server.

From the looks of things, Misao wasn't the only one who could keep her eyes to herself. The teenage girls seemed to be in love with Aoshi as well, as they poked their food disinterestedly and stared at him with lovelorn eyes.

Tae sighed loudly and hunched her shoulders even more, trying to hide her face. She didn't want Shinomori-san to recognize her and think that _she _was one of his admirers and was actually stalking him.

Misao finally managed to get her eyes away from Aoshi-sama. Who knew he could look so cute in a simple black shirt and jeans with a white apron thrown over it? She glanced at Tae and saw her friend's expression. Tae really wasn't one for these kinds of things and Misao appreciated her for coming along. " I'm really sorry, you know I wouldn't have dragged you here if Kaoru was available, she's more game for this kind of stuff but she's sick right now. Did I tell you I love you for going with me?"

Tae rolled her eyes. "You know I can't let you go here alone," she said picking up another fry. "But what are you planning to do, now that you know where he lives _and _works?"

* * *

Didn't they think he could recognize them?

Aoshi debated with himself whether he should go over to them and demand to know what they thought they were doing following him.

The excuse of 'We were just in the neighborhood' was entirely implausible, meaning that the two of them were here because of him.

He saw the taller one slump even further in her seat as if trying to make herself as invisible as possible.

He recognized her as Tae.

He'd never thought of Tae as someone who would actually stalk him.

She'd never even really glanced at him in class except in passing.

She and her friend Kaoru had always been polite to him but they'd never acted in love with him or anything.

So what was Tae doing here _without _her friend Kaoru?

He'd sort of separated them from the annoying mass of giggling whiny girls who clung to him and followed him around so much he actually _tripped _on one of them on his way out of the men's room.

So that left the smaller one.

That girl who was always coming to class because of Kaoru and Tae, the one with the long braid who reminded him of the Energizer bunny.

What was her name again?

Oh yes.

Misao.

"You know, you really are good for business," Yusuke said as he grinned at Aoshi. His brother owned the diner and he helped out sometimes to earn spending money. "Look at those customers you're pulling in," he said motioning discreetly to the high school girls.

Aoshi frowned. "They're not ordering anything except iced-tea."

"That's because you need to work it a little, you know?" Yusuke said grinning. "I noticed you've been looking at those two over by the corner; the weird ones. You know them?"

Aoshi shrugged and continued to wash the plates.

Yusuke grinned, "Oh hey, I heard my sister is babysitting for you for free."

"I intended to pay her, she wouldn't accept. I should give you the money."

Yusuke shook his head, "Nah. What are friends for, right? Dude, do girls always offer to do stuff for you?"

Aoshi shrugged.

"Must be nice," he said with a grin as he helped with the dishes.

A shriek was heard and the sound of a hand hitting flesh.

"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PERVERT!"

* * *

**A/N: **Whoopee! Evil place to stop, I know! Hi, hi, hi! Anyway, please review! I'll put up the next chapter in a few days.

Also with Kenshin brushing Kaoru's hair and pulling it from her face, he was being tender and affectionate.

Personally, when one of my guy classmates touched my hair and said it was soft and smelled good, I freaked. /Whoa! It's like that guy in Charlie's Angels movie!/ He was my friend but we aren't _that _close! ;-p

But then when i have a headache, i usually ask one of my friendsfor a massage or my mom does it for me and usually she runs her fingers through my hairwhile shesort of massages my head and temples.

SoI thought hey, since Kaoru and Kenshin are _really _close friends, he could do it for her and she'd feel nice about it!

And Kaoru has the flu and colds too! Remember last chapter, she went in feeling cold and she hugged herself? She was already getting sick then and typical Kenshin fashion, he took the blame all in on himself! /hugs Kenshin/

Anywayz, please review and tell me what you think!


	5. 05

**Perfect Fit**

Standard Disclaimer Apply

* * *

They inhabit a life of leisure and luxury. Kaoru Kamiya loves Kenshin Himura, but she's not sure about how he really feels about her. A boy comes, he is dark, brooding and mysterious and Kaoru finds herself thrown into situations where she has to spend time with him and gets to know him better. /in case you were wondering, the dark, brooding, mysterious guy is Aoshi!/

* * *

Ishould have updated it earlier but my older brother came home from college for the holidays! Anyway, I probably won't be able to update as soon as before for a while because we rarely see him but I will try. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and please review! To all my reviewers, I love you guys! Thanks for your support and MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"I'm glad you're finally feeling better," Tae said smiling at Kaoru as the two friends walked towards their classroom.

Kaoru grinned, "It's all thanks to Kenshin! He cooked me all my meals and Cook told me he said it was because he wanted to take care of me personally! Isn't that so wonderful?" Kaoru asked dreamily. She refused to remember the reason Kenshin was taking care of her was because he saw her as his friend.

No.

His _best _friend

She gritted her teeth.

"That's nice…" Tae said distractedly as she glanced around.

Kaoru blinked noticing the how odd Tae was behaving. In the time she'd been away from school, Tae had only called her once and they had talked for a brief time only since she said Misao was dragging her somewhere. "So, what happened to the excursion Misao dragged you to?"

Tae started and turned to look at Kaoru, her hand lifting nervously to her neck. "Why? What have you heard?"

"Nothing yet…but you're going to tell me everything…"

* * *

They were still early so the teacher was still nowhere to be found. Kaoru smiled at the people who asked her how her 'mini-vacation' was and inquired about her health. 

"I'm fine, thanks," she answered.

"Kenshin always dropped by to ask for the notes you missed while you were gone," one of the girls said. "You're so lucky!"

Kaoru and Tae took their usual seat near the back of the classroom after chatting briefly with some of their friends.

She noticed that Aoshi was there with headphones over his ears looking down at an open book atop his desk.

Kaoru then glanced over at her friend Tae who kept on glancing over at Aoshi and slumping down in her seat. "Stop it."

"What?"

"Fidgeting." Kaoru said with a roll of her eyes. "Spill already, tell me what happened."

"It's embarrassing!" Tae said, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Tae had always been the most poised, the most refined and the most mannered among all her friends and Kaoru knew Tae sometimes took some things as more embarrassing than they really were. "Come on, tell me about it," Kaoru prompted her friend.

"He saw us there! He might think that I'm, I'm one of his fan girls!" Tae said faintly, her blush draining and her face taking on an ashen hue. Oh the indignity!

"Well, with the way you keep on glancing back at him you're leaving him no choice but to come to that conclusion," Kaoru retorted. "Now what do you mean he saw you there? What's going on?"

"You see, Misao-chan managed to get a hold of Shinomori-san's address and she got the brilliant," note the sarcasm, "idea to drop by unannounced so she could see where he lived."

Kaoru's brows knotted, "How'd she get his address?"

"Kaoru-chan! That's not the point! The point is, she wanted to invade his privacy, but if you must know, Okina-san obtained it for her. She said it was for a friend who wanted to track down her long lost friend Shinomori-san."

"Clever," Kaoru said with a grin, "Misao's grandfather is such putty in her hands."

Tae realized that Misao and Kaoru were alike in many ways. They were both insane. "Kaoru-chan! Pay attention!"

Kaoru smiled, "Gomen, gomen. Go ahead, so you guys went over to his house…"

"Yes. We decided to take a taxi so no one would know where we were really going. You know how Okina-san has everyone in his staff report to him about what happens to Misao, he's very protective of her and he wouldn't take kindly that she used him just so she could stalk a boy."

"Good point, go on…"

"And so we were just sitting there in the cab looking at it," Tae didn't mention the location or the rather drab appearance of the place since she felt it would be rude to Aoshi, "and then Shinomori-san just walked out of the building. Misao saw him and decided to follow him."

Kaoru smiled, "Sounds exciting," she said. "I'm surprised you came with her though, Tae-chan…"

"Well I couldn't very well let her go off alone, could I?" Tae said primly.

Kaoru smiled. Poor Tae, she was forever being dragged off into adventures she didn't want to partake in, in the first place. It was all because she was such a loyal friend and Kaoru loved her so much for it. "So then what happened?"

"We followed him into this little place, an eatery/diner/cafeteria, I'm not sure what it is but it was rather on the small side with booths and swivel stool chairs…" Tae shivered in horror at the memory.

She was the daughter of theowner of one of the most successful and exclusive chain of restaurants in Japan and was an expert in fine dining. Taehad never even been to McDonalds or any other popular fast-food chain in her life. "Misao had me order a _burger_ so we didn't look out of place."

"I expect that with your uniforms, Shinomori-san would have spotted you right away."

"No, we weren't wearing uniforms. Before we left the house, I persuaded Misao that we should change out clothes first. We were both wearing jeans and sweaters with hoods and we had the hoods pulled over our heads so Shinomori-san wouldn't recognize us."

Kaoru burst out laughing, imagining the normally poised, feminine Tae in such a get-up.

Tae frowned at her, "Kaoru-chan I think it's better I get on with the story and you refrain from any sort of reaction until I'm done, understand?"

"Hai, Tae-dono…" Kaoru said solemnly.

Tae rolled her eyes at her friend. "So there I was, minding my own business and trying hard not to stare at the bcarcass of a dead cow, meaning the burger, while Misao constantly glanced over at Aoshi. He went inside what I presumed was the kitchen, there was this square cut space where the people inside could be seen, and so she focused her eyes there even though she could probably only glimpse his hands.

In any case, that's when we heard a girl scream, 'Get Away From Me You Pervert!'

A high school boy had walked past her table and had _accidentally_ groped her chest and she stood and slapped him. His friends all laughed and crowded over to the girl's table and he did it _again_. He gave her breast another squeeze while his other friends leered over the poor girl and her friends. It was quite horrid."

Kaoru nodded although she could guess what happened next. _Misao would never let something like that pass…_

_Actually…neither would I…_

"Misao-chan got up and tried to tell the guys off but she ended up getting hurt. I think at first they mistook her for a boy because of her clothes and they pushed her backwards. She twisted her ankle when she fell and cried out just as Shinomori-san and another boy, Yusuke-san, came from the kitchen."

"Misao twisted her ankle? How is she?"

"She's fine, she's at home resting," Tae placated, noting that Kaoru was half-way out of her seat.

Kaoru was angry. "Why didn't you guys call to tell me?"

"Because you were sick and we didn't want you to worry!" Tae retorted. "Besides, there's nothing you could have done anyway."

Kaoru settled, still angry but knowing the truth in Tae's words, "Fine. So what happened to the guys?"

Tae proceeded to tell her.

* * *

Flashback

* * *

Yusuke took one look and sighed. "Damned those guys, they're in here making trouble again." He hurried to push the boys away from the group of girls and said, "You guys leave now before I call the cops."

"Fuck you asshole!"

Tae wasn't paying too much attention to whatever they were saying because she was too worried about Misao who was holding her ankle as if in pain. "Misao, are you okay?" she asked worriedly. "I'll call your driver…"

"No, Jiya will be mad and I'll be grounded…"

"Fine, then I'll call mine," Tae said.

"No!" Misao said shaking her head.

"But Misao!" Tae protested.

"Where does it hurt?"

Tae looked up to see Aoshi crouch easily beside Misao. His eyes were a clear blue, cold yes, but they also held calm and control and Tae found her anxiety level lower. He looked like he knew what he was doing. "It's her ankle, I think she broke it when those guys pushed her and she fell…" Tae provided.

Misao looked down at her hands, unable to meet Aoshi's gaze. She whimpered when Aoshi put pressure on it, to ascertain the level of damage inflicted on her limb.

"It doesn't feel broken, you just twisted it a little and sprained it," Aoshi said. "But you better have it checked out by a doctor to be sure."

* * *

End Flashback

* * *

"Then, Shinomori-san stood up and asked the boys to leave again, but they still wouldn't and they continued to make noises and disturb the customers. Finally Shinomori-san and the other boy hauled the troublemakers outside. There was a fight…I think, but I didn't look. I was too busy trying to convince Misao to let me call for someone to fetch us out of there." Tae bit her lip as she remembered how scared she'd been when she'd heard the sounds of a fight coming from outside.

Some of the customers had actually stood up and gone outside to watch.

Tae hadn't been able to look and had wanted nothing more than to be out of that neighborhood as fast as she could. "When Shinomori-san came back, he was a little disheveled…and he went to Misao and I…"

* * *

Flashback

* * *

"How did the two of you get here?"

Tae couldn't really force an answer out of her dry throat at the cold look in his eyes. He seemed to really cold, his face was expressionless but Tae could sense that he resented her and Misao's presence in his life and she could truly understand his anger at their unwanted intrusion.

Yusuke crouched down near Misao, "Oh, you're a girl!" he said surprised. "Do you know these two Aoshi?"

"We took a cab here," Tae finally managed to convey as she pushed her hood out of the way. Since breeding and etiquette had been drilled into her very being since she was young, she automatically inclined her head and introduced herself and Misao to Yusuke formally.

Aoshi glanced at her briefly before standing up and leaving.

Yusuke glanced at Tae curiously, "Hi, my name's Yusuke. How do you guys know Shinomori?"

"Schoolmate…" Misao said gritting her teeth at the pain in her ankle.

Aoshi came back with a clear plastic bag and placed it on Misao's ankle before taking out a handkerchief and using it to secure the make-shift ice-pack in place. "Call home and tell someone to pick you up and bring you to the doctor."

Misao shook her head vehemently.

Tae gripped her arm, "Misao-chan…"

"No…Jiya will be mad…and he'll be disappointed in me…"

Tae bit her lip. "Let me call home…"

"No, your parents would tell Jiya."

"You need to get your foot checked out as soon as possible," Yusuke said.

Misao glanced over at Yusuke because she didn't want to see the cold look in Aoshi's eyes. She wanted to cry but she held back her tears. "Can you just flag down a cab for us please?"

"Well, there aren't that many taxi's that come around here. There's the bus stop but it's a couple of blocks away…" Yusuke said scratching his head. "There is a clinic near here though, Dr. Genzai can help you out."

Aoshi crouched down his back to Misao. "Get on."

Misao blinked. "W-what?"

"I'll carry you there."

* * *

end flashback

* * *

(**A/N: **He didn't carry her bridal style because in Japan and in most Asian countries, we use 'piggyback rides' more often. Personally I think it's cuter.)

* * *

"A place that a cab doesn't go through regularly?" Kaoru said as she glanced over at Aoshi discreetly. "Where exactly is this place?" 

Tae told her the address. "It's actually a lower-middle-class neighborhood, I think. That was why I was so scared when the fight broke out," she confessed finally.

"But what's he doing in a place like that?"

"A place like what?"

"Why does he _live_ there?" Kaoru mused out loud. She was aware that their school was one of the most expensive schools in the country, and all her classmates were well to do. "If he can afford to study here, he can surely afford to live in a better area…also, why is he a waiter in a place like that? Do you think his parents owns it?"

"No, I don't think so." Tae shook her head, "Well, maybe…"

Kaoru studied Aoshi. He was still wearing his headphones and still looking down at his book, he had a pencil in hand and seemed to be writing something. His dark bangs were a little too long and they fell in a silky mass, obscuring his eyes and covering his face.

In a way, he just emanated a sort of icy elegance about him and she tried to picture him as a waiter serving drinks.

She couldn't.

He seemed much too elegant and…he just had this aura around him that stated that he would never take orders (pardon the pun) from anyone.

"He couldn't be as angry at you and Misao as you think when he helped get her to a doctor," Kaoru said, curbing her thoughts. "Maybe a little peeved but I'm sure he'd have gotten over it by now…"

"Well that's not the end of the story…" Tae said.

From his side of the room, Aoshi sneezed.

A small smile curved Kaoru's lips.

Even his sneeze seemed _elegant_.

* * *

Misao moaned and turned in bed frowning, glaring at her bandaged foot. Even though she'd already told Jiya that she was fine and had shown him Dr. Genzai's note, he'd insisted on having their family physician take a look at her foot.

Bed Rest.

Should be fine in a few days.

She bit her lip feeling ready to cry. She didn't want to remember how Aoshi had looked.

He seemed so…cold.

Did he hate her for following him?

She only did it because she liked him so much; she wanted to get to know him better.

* * *

Flashback

* * *

The clinic was further than Misao had expected and she felt so embarrassed that Aoshi-sama had to carry her on his back all the way over there.

His scent tickled her nostrils and he smelled like fresh, like clean skin and soap with a hint of tea and mint. She turned her head to the side and caught Tae's eye.

Tae smiled at her reassuringly although it was clear she was scared to be walking on such an unfamiliar neighborhood.

The clinic itself was small, utilitarian but scrupulously clean and in a much prosperous part of town than where they had been earlier and Tae visibly relaxed. The kindly old man that greeted them turned out to be Dr. Genzai, the owner of the clinic.

"It's good that I have no patients here right now…it's hard you know with only me here and most of the time there's a line of patients waiting to be tended to."

"You should get an assistant then," Tae offered helpfully.

"I want to but you see," Dr. Genzai explained as he checked over Misao's foot, "No one stays for too long. Most of the people who go to my clinic don't really have much money so this is what you would call a 'charitable endeavor' on my part. And well, people need to earn money and they're not just going to earn a lot working here…"

"How kind of you," Tae said with a smile, warming up to the gentle old man.

Misao gritted her teeth as Dr. Genzai finished bandaging her foot. "You keep off of it for a few days and it should be fine. You're lucky nothing got broken."

"Thank you," Misao said with a smile at the doctor. "Could you please make out a note I can show my grandfather? He'll be worried when he sees this…"

The old man laughed. "Of course, of course…"

Misao cast a glance over at Aoshi who was standing by one side of the room, his arms crossed and his back against the wall. His head was tilted and his eyes were closed, it was almost as if he was asleep.

As if sensing her eyes on him, one ice-blue eye opened and looked out Misao for a moment before they closed once more.

Misao's throat tightened with tears as she turned away and looked into Tae's commiserating brown ones.

* * *

End flashback

* * *

"Maybe I can do something for him…bring him something or give him something so he knows that I'm sorry. I should explain…" Misao muttered to herself as she thought up ways to get on his good side.

As far as Kaoru and Tae had told her, Aoshi went to school and went home, he didn't join any clubs and he didn't seem to have any hobbies. Misao didn't know what to get for him or do for him that would please him and make him forgive her.

She didn't want Aoshi-sama to hate her.

She wanted him to like her.

Love her, even.

* * *

Flashback

* * *

Dr. Genzai and stood up, telling them that he would call a taxi service to go pick up Misao. "But I think it would be more expensive…"

"That's okay," Tae said with a smile. "We don't mind."

Genzai nodded and smiled.

Tae was silent staring at her hands.

Misao still could not bring herself to look at Aoshi. "Thank you…for helping me."

"…"

Misao looked over and saw him still leaning against the wall with his head tilted slightly back, his eyes closed.

"I…I really appreciate it."

"…"

"Is there something I can do to say thanks?"

"Don't do it again."

Misao blinked. Truthfully, she hadn't been expecting an answer. "Excuse me?"

His eyes didn't open and he spoke in a soft, polite voice that was overlaid with ice. "Don't follow me again. EVER."

"I…" Misao swallowed her tears and nodded. She realized he wouldn't be able to see so she cleared her throat, "Y-yes…"

He didn't answer.

* * *

End flashback

* * *

Misao hugged her pillow to her chest, feeling her heart hurting.

She wanted so much to be with Aoshi!

"I won't follow you again, but I can't stay away from you…" Misao whispered to the empty room.

Was this how Kaoru felt about Kenshin?

This ache to feel his arms around you?

The certainty that everything in the world would be better if only he would look at you with love in his eyes?

Misao blinked, "Yes!"a giddy smile crept to her face "Kaoru, she can help me…I know she can!"

* * *

**A/N: **Hehehe! Hi guys! Told you I would update in a few days! So, you like? I used a different way to convey what happened at the diner. I thought it would be more interesting and fun. Anyway, isn't Aoshi cute?

**Piggyback Rides: **Just think if **Aoshi** or **your** **crush**, carried you that way; your front against his back, your head would approximately be somewhere near his so if you turned your head a little you can smell his hair or bury your face against on the crook of his neck, your arms around his neck from the back, your legs on each side of his hips and his hands supporting the back of your thighs! okay, I have just made something innocent like a piggyback ride seem Hentai! Bad Author! Bad Author!

Anyway guys, Happy Holidays.

**Please REVIEW!**

See you next update!


	6. 06

**Perfect Fit**

Standard Disclaimer Apply

* * *

They inhabit a life of leisure and luxury. Kaoru Kamiya loves Kenshin Himura, but she's not sure about how he really feels about her. A boy comes, he is dark, brooding and mysterious and Kaoru finds herself thrown into situations where she has to spend time with him and gets to know him better. /in case you were wondering, the dark, brooding, mysterious guy is Aoshi!/

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, I've been receiving questions about my nationality. I'm Filipino-Chinese but I consider myself more Filipino! Are there Filipinos reading this? Tell me! (grins) I got inspired by the new chapter of The Best of Intentions, it's an Aoshi/Kaoru fic by BelleDayNight and I fell in love with the pairing Kaoru and Aoshi all over again! I wrote most of this chapter in just a few hours so I hope it doesn't seem rushed…gomen neh if there are errors! I tried checking them but I might have missed some…

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Six:**

Kaoru had been preoccupied all morning, her thoughts going from Kenshin and then to Aoshi and Misao. Yesterday, she had gone to talk to Misao and give her a 'Get Well' present and make sure she was okay. Misao had told Kaoru her own version of what had happened about how she thought Aoshi disliked her because of her actions.

Yes, probably.

But then again, Aoshi seemed to dislike everybody.

Well…maybe dislike was too strong a word.

Aoshi was apathetic, that was it.

He didn't care about anyone either way. He was just there on his seat, studying, breathing, taking up space.

He was encased in an impenetrable wall of aloofness.

Too bad it made him seem cooler and more mysterious.

Instead of keeping the girls away, his lone wolf coldness actually made him more attractive to the opposite sex.

Kaoru smiled ruefully at the irony of the situation.

Kaoru found it hard to try and compare Kenshin to Aoshi. Misao had wanted to know how Kaoru had become close to Kenshin and befriended him so that perhaps she might be able to use the same tactics to befriend Aoshi.

The problem was that Kaoru and Kenshin's friendship had just developed sort of naturally. He had moved in to the house next door to Kaoru.

Kaoru had seen him and been introduced to him by Hiko whom she had known since she was a baby.

Kenshin had said hi and talked to her first and their relationship gradually grew closer as time passed.

Kenshin was very nice and he always took care of her in many different ways.

He was _sociable_.

He was _too sociable,_ in fact.

Kaoru doubted if Misao would encounter the same situation with Aoshi.

For one thing, Kenshin was _approachable_.

He was nice.

And most important of all…Kenshin actually _talked_.

Aoshi didn't seem to like talking that much.

The only thing Aoshi and Kenshin shared was the fact that they drew girls to them like a magnet drew metal.

Kenshin was nice to every single one of his fan girls and thanked them for the favors, candies, flowers, chocolates, notes, trinkets and whatever else they gave him.

Kenshin paid attention to them and tried to accommodate them as much as possible, not because he liked the attention but because he didn't seem to have a rude bone in his body.

Aoshi on the other hand, ignored them.

Sometimes Kaoru wished Kenshin would ignore his fan girls too, so she and Kenshin could spend more time together.

She smiled slightly as she glanced at the lunch she'd asked Cook to prepare. Since Kenshin had taken care of her when she was sick, she thought she should do something nice for him and a packed lunch with all his favorite food seemed appropriate.

She hoped he wasn't busy since it seemed like one girl or another was forever dragging him off to somewhere. Kaoru tried to take heart in what Sano had told her; that Kenshin always came back to her.

_Because you're his best friend_.

Kaoru frowned. _Best friend_. It was the proverbial kiss of death wasn't it?

Ugh, she hated it but what could she do? Should she risk making him uneasy by confessing her love? She couldn't do that. He was very protective of her and she knew he loved her in his own way.

He'd probably do something stupid like ask her to become his girlfriend just so she wouldn't be upset.

Kaoru didn't want that. Kaoru wanted him to love her because he _did_.

Not because he felt like he _had_ _to_.

If Misao was feeling half as bad as she was feeling…

Kaoru sighed.

Misao seemed really depressed and Kaoru wanted to help her. She'd even brainstormed with Tae but so far they could think of no feasible strategy. Poor Misao…Kaoru promised she'd find a way to help her friend. Misao had always encouraged her and been there through her frustratingly unrequited love for Kenshin. Misao had supported her and cheered her up and Kaoru would do anything to help her friend.

Question was…how?

* * *

It was lunchtime and Sano dropped by Kaoru and Tae's classroom. "Yo!" he said, lifting a hand in greeting as he stepped inside.

Sano smiled at the girls who giggled and called out his name.

He nodded at the guys who greeted him.

"Great game Sano!"

"Thanks man!" he replied.

"What are you doing here?" Kaoru asked, aware that Sano was very, very cognizant of all the girls' stares he was receiving. She rolled her eyes at him and his flirtatious ways.

"Hey, can't I drop by to escort my two most favorite females in the world to lunch?"

"Oh, you probably don't have money for lunch, do you?" Kaoru accused with narrowed eyes.

"You mean you're just going to borrow money from us, _again_?" Tae asked.

Sano flashed them his most winning grin as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Promise, next week I'll pay you. I already spent my allowance for the week…"

"Geeze Sano, what in the world do you use all that money for?" Kaoru said frowning at him.

Sano ignored the Glare Of Death Kaoru was flashing at him and smiled at Tae, "So Tae-chan, I have an idea, let's go to your place after school!" he suggested. "All of us haven't hung out together in a while and besides, I love the food at the Akabeko."

"Just as long as you pay your tab Sano," Tae teased. "The manager was complaining to me that the place would go bankrupt by your tab alone!" she joked.

"Promise I'll pay you guys when I get my next allowance," he pleaded with puppy eyes. He gave them his best endearing smile and noticed it didn't seem to have any effect on them.

Kaoru was still scowling at him and Tae had the same soft, smile on her lips.

Damn, these girls were tough.

"Don't tell me you've been betting on that stupid dice game you play. Gambling isn't allowed in school and you don't want to be suspended from the team, do you?" Kaoru jabbed her index finger on Sano's chest.

"What are you? The principal?"

Kaoru smacked him over the head with her palm. "Baka! You know you could get suspended from the team for breaking the rules."

Tae nodded, "If you have so much free time you can gamble Sano-kun, then I suggest you use it studying. Look at Ken-san…"

"Oh hey, yeah where is Kenshin?" Kaoru asked with a tilt of her head to the side.

"Last time I saw him, Megitsune was dragging him off to the picnic area at the courtyard. I came to fetch you guys so we can all have lunch together." Sano said.

Tae smirked, "I'm sure."

"Honest!" Sano insisted. "So, will you guys lend me money? Come on, please…promise I'll pay."

"Hn…like I haven't heard that a million times before," Tae muttered.

"Come on! We've all been friends since we were kids, I'm your big brother, remember? I'll do anything for you guys! I protect and defend your honor…"

"You make fun of my cooking…"

"And you never pay me back…"

Sano looked at a loss for what to do next. It was very rare when females turned him down.

Tae finally lost it and she laughed out loud. "Oh fine, of course we won't let you starve. Come on, let's go get lunch."

* * *

It seemed that the whole world wanted something from him. Like they had this image of who he was and who he should be.

It was so far from the real him it was almost laughable.

Almost, but not quite…

Aoshi had taken to taking his own lunch and eating out at the rooftop instead of the cafeteria or the famous Toyotama courtyard. Up on the rooftop he was alone, and he liked it. There were no eyes to look at him, no stares he needed to ignore.

Leaning his back against the wall and taking out the sandwich he'd prepared earlier, a small flicker appeared in his eyes.

He'd certainly never expected to spend his junior year of high school like this.

Well, there was nothing to be done about that.

A small breeze picked up and ruffled his hair, the longer strands dancing about his gem blue eyes. He pushed them back. It was time for a haircut. Too bad they couldn't afford it.

* * *

Although Kaoru had wanted to eat lunch with her friends, she didn't think she could stand by and watch Megumi flirt with Kenshin. Oh she was already used to it by now, they'd had many shared lunches together where Megumi was trying to steal Kenshin's attention seemingly enjoying annoying Kaoru, but Kaoru had always given as good as she got.

It was almost like a game sometimes.

But Kaoru had limits too and she didn't think she could pull off a happy-go-lucky Tanuki façade right now. Kenshin's words of friendship echoed too loudly in her ears.

She was his best friend.

Like what she'd told Megumi at Sano's last game, Kenshin wasn't hers.

And Megumi had said; 'Y_ou want him to be…that's all that really matters'._

But Megumi was wrong.

It wasn't all that mattered.

Kenshin didn't want Kaoru that way.

That mattered too.

She had no right to be jealous of Megumi or the other girls who tried to monopolize his time.

No matter how other people saw their relationship, to Kenshin it was platonic.

Kaoru wasn't a masochist and she didn't want to see him and be reminded of the unattainable. She just didn't feel up to it right now. It wasn't even his fault that he was so nice and so easy to love.

The packed lunch she'd brought hung heavily on her left hand as she opened the door to the rooftop. She came there often when she wanted to be alone. Standing at the edge and looking down at the world from an incredible height made all her problems seem so trivial.

She was just a small dot in the earth after all.

The breeze ruffled Kaoru's hair and the loose strands that fell about her face danced softly against her cheeks as she opened the door. Her skirt fluttered around her thighs as the wind passed her by and proceeded to occupy the staircase.

She stepped out only to freeze at the sight of someone else, lounging near the edge of the railing.

_Aoshi…_

* * *

He'd heard the almost silent squeak of the door being opened and turned his head just in time to see her freeze at the sight of him.

Blue/black hair danced around and played peek-a-boo with two sets of blue eyes, one a deep sapphire and the other a cool azure.

He hadn't expected to see her.

Kamiya.

That was her name, wasn't it?

She was Tae Seikihara's friend…Makimachi Misao's friend.

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

He'd come here to be alone…to escape from prying eyes and giggling girls who clung to him every chance they got.

They didn't seem to comprehend the notion of personal space and respect for ones privacy.

"I didn't know somebody else was up here," Kaoru murmured as she looked at him.

Overhead, the blue sky was cheerfully light as fluffy white clouds floated in seemingly weightless meandering. A shaft of sunlight managed to shine just directly over her so that her black hair was tinted lavender and her blue eyes captured and reflected the light. A small breeze caught her hair so it flirted against her sun warmed skin and her school skirt fluttered in a small dance of it's own.

Aoshi just stared at her.

All his past dealings with her had been minimal, they'd barely spoken ten sentences to each other since he'd arrived.

She was always surrounded with people, if not Tae then someone else.

What was she doing up here alone?

Kaoru closed the door behind her and sat down at the opposite side from Aoshi, aware of his laser blue eyes trained at her the entire time. He sure could make her feel unwelcome without even moving a muscle. Still, he was really good-looking. His black hair looked thick and soft as it fell over his eyes. It was almost too long in fact as she watched him flick an offending lock away from his face. She bit back a smile as she settled down to sit.

"Why are you here?"

Four words.

Softly spoken but laced with ice.

_Why? _"I come here sometimes…" Kaoru said. But it had been a while since she'd come back here. "I wanted to get away," Kaoru said honestly. She was surprised she'd said as much when all she'd told Tae and Sano when she'd declined their offer for lunch was that she wasn't hungry.

He was still silent and motionless; his pose casual as he sat with his back against the railing, one knee draw up while the other leg was sprawled. His wrist rested on his drawn knee and he stared at her for a moment before looking away.

She realized why she'd told him the truth. Why she didn't feel the need to hide her weariness from him.

He didn't know her.

He didn't care.

It was all right.

"I bet that's why you're here too aren't you? Get away from your fans."

"…"

"Do you want me to leave?"

Aoshi was surprised at the offer, but then he shrugged, still not looking her way.

Just as long as she wasn't there to stalk him, he didn't care.

Kaoru took his silence as acceptance of her presence and unwrapped the packed lunch. There was two sets of chopsticks. She'd brought too much, expecting to share it with Kenshin and perhaps others as well. Kaoru sighed as she looked at the beautifully prepared food spread out in the bento box. It was a shame to let it go to waste. "Have you eaten already?"

"Yes."

Kaoru looked up from the food to glance at Aoshi. His profile was turned to her. He did have a nice profile, clean and classic. "Do you still have room for more?"

"…"

"I brought too much food. It will be a shame to let it go to waste."

The sandwich hadn't really filled him up. He hadn't had time to make his lunch this morning so he'd had to make do. His gaze flickered over to where she was, the bento boxes in front of her.

"I promise there's no love potion mixed in with the food," she teased with a smile.

Aoshi's expression shifted for a moment, his eyes flickered at the disturbing thought.

Kaoru laughed and picked up the boxes, crossing over to where he sat. She settled across from him and placed the boxes between them, handing him a set of chopsticks.

The smell of the food was delicious and the way it was presented was beautiful and appetizing.

Kaoru noticed where Aoshi's attention was. "Don't worry, I didn't cook it."

He glanced at her, "Why should I be worried if you cooked it?"

Kaoru looked up at his face and then smiled, "Yeah, why indeed?"

He frowned but took the bento.

"Itadakimasu…" she said.

"Itadakimasu."

They started to eat.

"Does it taste good?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes," he said with a nod.

There was silence between them.

But it was nice.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you guys like this! I know you have been clamoring for some Aoshi/Kaoru action so here it is! Tsk, tsk Kenshin, always going off somewhere and not paying enough attention to Kaoru! So what did you think of Aoshi and Kaoru's mini-conversation/moment? I hope you liked this chapter! Please review!

**Videl621: **Hi! Thanks so much for the review! I'm glad you like this story! (grins) I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**BelleDayNight: **Hi there! Your really do write some of the best Aoshi/Kaoru fics ever! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter! Since you wanted them to interact…here it is!

**E.B.:** I'm glad you like this story! I hope you liked this chapter!

**King of En: **Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter as well! Please tell me what you thought of it.

**Female Hitokiri Battousai: **Hi! I must say I love your stories so much and that's why I'm so happy you liked this story! I hope you liked this chapter as well! Thanks so much!

**Triste1: **Yes, another update! This one was written spur of the moment, I did try to scan it and check it before posting but I might have missed a few errors. Sorry, but I hope it doesn't detract too much from your overall enjoyment of the fic! I hope you liked this chapter, please review!

**Alexis Barnes: **Since you wanted them together in this chappie, they're together! (grins) I hope you liked it!

**Goldmund: **Hi! Yeah, I wish Aoshi would give a piggyback ride to Kaoru too! Hmmm…maybe I can write than in here somewhere…I hope you like the story's progression and that you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!

**Jbella: **Hey there! Aoshi and Kaoru finally talk to each other! (grins) I hope you enjoyed it. This was written spur of the moment in one sitting so I apologize if it seems a bit rushed.

**WhiteRabbit5: **Sorry for the faulty pronoun! I should probably try and check my grammar and stuff more, maybe get a beta-reader or something…I'm glad you liked the style the last chapter was done in! Finally, Aoshi and Kaoru have stopped dancing circles around each other! They are talking now, not much fluff yet but at least they talked! (smiles)

**Clemen: **Hi there! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! Please review and tell me what you think!

**Brittanie Love: **Hi there! thanks so much for your support and reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please tell me what you think of Aoshi and Kaoru's interaction!

**Justagirl8225: **Yeah, I like writing Tae and Kaoru's friendship too! I'm very happy you like my story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! Please review!


	7. 07

**Perfect Fit**

Standard Disclaimer Apply

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks so much for all the reviews. Glad this fic is helping the **Aoshi**/**Kaoru** cause! (grins) Also to those who are kind of hoping for some Misao/Kenshin action…I'm not sure. I don't really like them as a couple. No offense to those who like that pairing. Oh and I've written an Aoshi/Kaoru One-Shot entitled **Awareness, **set in Cannon universe. Please give it a read, neh?

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

Tae rolled her eyes and closed her ears to the ramblings of everyone at the table. She leaned over and filched a piece of Tempura from Sano's plate and nibbled at the end after dipping it in sauce. Kenshin had left shortly after Tae had announced that Kaoru would not be joining them for lunch. The redhead had looked worried and asked why. The reasoning that Kaoru was simply 'not hungry' did not seem acceptable to him and so he'd left a little while later after politely excusing himself from the group.

"_What about food Ken-san? You've hardly started eating!" _

"_Daijoubu Megumi-dono, I'm fine," Kenshin said as he had slipped away._

"_Neh Kenshin, can I have your food?"_

"_Sure Sano, help yourself."_

Tae sighed and made little clicking sounds with her chopsticks. Megumi didn't seem too happy about Kenshin leaving and neither did the other females in their table. Tae wasn't especially close to them but they were her acquaintances/friends nonetheless. Most of the people around the table were those she had grown up with or were family friends.

Sometimes Tae wondered why some girls even tried to get Kenshin's attention when it was obvious it was Kaoru he regarded with the most affection. Granted Kenshin was always helpful and gave his attention to others as well, but Kaoru was the only one who didn't have to call out to him for him to turn her way.

What would it take for Kenshin to finally acknowledge his feelings for Kaoru?

A hard hit on the head perhaps?

A detailed PowerPoint presentation?

A combination of both?

"Tae, that's my tempura!" Sano complained when he noticed what Tae was eating.

Tae glanced over at him and smirked in amusement, "Not anymore…" she said as she leaned over to pick up another piece.

"Tae how's Misao doing? We heard she got into an accident?" one of the girls asked.

Tae smiled, "She's recovering. Most likely she'll be back in a week or so."

"Oh hey yeah, you never did tell me how Itachi Musume hurt her ankle…" Sano said.

"Just a little mishap," Tae assured them as her thoughts drifted over to the small clinic. The old man there had been very helpful and nice to them. A thank you note seemed a little weak and Tae wondered if perhaps she should do something nice for him in return…

"Hey Tae, aren't you supposed to be a vegetarian?" Sano reminded her.

Tae blinked and looked down at the tempura she'd been nibbling on. She shrugged, "I make allowances for seafood."

* * *

.

"Kenshin? What are you doing here?" Kaoru asked as she walked inside her classroom. It was pretty empty since there were still several minutes more before lunchtime was over. Most of the students were probably still lazing about enjoying the free time. It was a good thing that the classroom's occupants were all male for the time being since Kenshin would surely have been swamped if it had been females around and he was standing without Kaoru at his side.

"Where's Tae?"

"She's still with Sano and the others," Kenshin said with a smile. "She said you weren't hungry…but I bought you something from the cafeteria just in case you changed your mind."

Kaoru groaned mentally at the sight of the tempting confection. She had eaten a lot, finishing off her bento and she doubted if she had any room for more. "Wait, were you here the entire time?" she asked suddenly. "What about the picnic?"

"Oh I already ate some when Tae and Sano came."

"Uhm…" Kaoru smiled. "Did you enjoy the picnic?"

"Megumi-san cooks very well, I think you would have liked it as well. I was concerned that you weren't there," Kenshin put a hand on Kaoru's forehead. "Are you feeling sick again?"

"Oh no, I'm completely recovered!" Kaoru assured him, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. His violet eyes were gazing at her in concern and she felt her heart squeeze.

He was looking at her right now… only at her.

Kenshin sat back down in Tae's seat after Kaoru took her normal seat beside him.

"Where did you go?" Kenshin asked.

Kaoru opened her mouth to answer him but hesitated. Should she tell Kenshin about Aoshi's secret hiding place? It didn't seem right to divulge the information so she smiled at him instead and shrugged. "I ate. I found I was hungry after all."

He studied her for a long time, his violet eyes staring into her blue ones. A small crease formed in his brow and Kaoru found her hand lifting to smooth it over. "Don't go all mother hen on me again Kenshin, I'm fine. Promise."

Finally, he nodded and smiled. "Don't you want to eat the chocolate mousse cake?" he inquired.

Kaoru's attention was once again drawn towards the calorie temptation. What the heck? She'd already indulged once today, what was a few thousand more calories? It wasn't like she even cared or anything. She glanced at him and smiled, "Only if we share."

Kenshin nodded as he dug in and held out the dessertspoon towards Kaoru. "Open up."

"I can feed myself Kenshin," she said with a laugh.

"I know."

* * *

.

Tae excused herself earlier from the group. Kaoru would most likely be in the classroom and she wanted to talk to her friend about her plan. Tae's mother chaired several charitable committees and she was always careful to instill in her daughters a sense of gratitude for their blessings as well as giving back to the community.

Dr. Genzai, the doctor who had helped Misao, was doing the same and Tae wanted to help him.

She passed by a couple of first years and heard something about Yohji and Aya having relationship problems. She recalled Aya pretty freshman (or was it sophomore?) that Misao disliked for her supposed interest in Shinomori-san. If Aya and Yohji were indeed having relationship troubles, perhaps it had something to do with a certain stoic new student?

Tae filed away the information to relate to Misao at a later date.

She arrived at her classroom and started to walk in but she stopped by the door and stared. She smiled when she saw Kenshin talking to Kaoru while feeding her cake. A few girls already in the classroom could be seen gazing at the two with a dreamy look in their eyes.

Kenshin was indeed quite a catch. Almost every female in school was attracted to him or liked him in some way be it romantic or platonic. He was cute and always polite, he was good in school and very responsible. He was the perfect guy and Tae could easily understand exactly why Kaoru was so in love with him.

Kaoru took the spoon from Kenshin, cut off a rather large piece of cake and fed it to him. Tae could see Kaoru's laughter as Kenshin struggled with the large piece.

The two of them were perfect together and she waited a little by the door entrance of the classroom, watching Kenshin bend his head forward a little to catch the words Kaoru were telling him. Kaoru smiled and laughed, hitting his arm slightly as she spoke to him. Tae bit her lip in thought. She and Kaoru were both plotting on ways to help Misao get closer to Shinomori-san, perhaps they could also use their time to plot ways to get Kenshin to confess his feelings towards Kaoru as well.

Hitting two birds with one stone as it were.

"Excuse me Tae-san…"

Tae turned and gave a sheepish smile to one of her girl classmates. "Gomen nasai!" she murmured before walking inside.

"Tae," Kenshin greeted, smiling as he started to stand up from her seat.

"No, it's okay Kenshin," Tae said as she grabbed an the empty seat in front of Kaoru.

"How's the picnic Tae?" Kaoru inquired as she brought another spoonful of chocolate mousse in her mouth.

"It was…strange…but the food was good though. Ken-san was sorely missed."

"I bet," Kaoru snorted, rolling her eyes.

Kenshin smiled at them both. "Would you like some cake, Tae-san?"

"No thanks, I'm full. You guys finish up."

* * *

. 

The school had ended a couple of minutes ago but since Tae along with Jin, had both been chosen as class monitors and were tasked with cleaning up after the classroom. Kaoru hung back and helped them a little as she waited for her friend to finish. Kaoru glanced over at Kaito, Jin's friend, who was also hanging back inside the classroom, watching as they worked.

"He'd finish up faster if you would just help you know…" Kaoru teased the blonde.

"Nah, he's doing fine Kaoru-san!" Kaito said with a grin.

"Hmmm…Gracie will hit you over the head with her fan again if you guys are late for basketball practice."

"Sagara-san's always late too but she doesn't hit him! It's so unfair Kaoru-san!"

"He's the captain baka!" Jin commented.

Tae and Kaoru laughed.

After cleaning up the classroom, all four of them walked down the flights of steps together, talking about their mutual friends and the homework they would have to do. Tae and Jin were discussing something about Physics when Kaito turned to Kaoru and detained her, letting Jin and Tae walk a little further ahead.

"What wrong?" Kaoru asked noticing the blush staining his cheeks and the way he seemed to be squirming.

"Haven't seen Misao around lately, is she okay?" Kaito said after a while.

"Hey Kaito, what's with your sudden interest in Makimachi's welfare all of a sudden?" Jin called out from ahead of them.

Kaito turned beat red and growled for him to shut up.

Kaoru and Tae laughed.

"Misao's fine. You should visit her if you want." Tae assured Kaito while Jin smirked.

Kaito nodded, seemingly flustered. "Well, uh maybe one of these days…uh…well I gotta go to the gym now, see you tomorrow!"

Jin bowed to Tae and Kaoru before running off to follow his friend. "I'll call you later, neh Tae-san?"

Tae nodded and gave him a wave.

"What was that about?" Kaoru asked, glancing over at Tae.

"He was asking me help with some subjects he's having trouble with." Tae said with a shrug. "Kaito likes Misao…how sweet!"

"He's nice…but Misao's so focused on Aoshi she probably won't notice."

"Like you are with Kenshin?"

Kaoru glanced at Tae questioningly.

Tae rolled her eyes. Misao and Kaoru were indeed quite oblivious sometimes. Tae had eyes and she could see what other people sometimes took for granted. There had been some guys who had expressed some interest in her best friend but they always gave up, because their rival for her affections would be Kenshin and it was so obvious that Kaoru was devoted to him. "Where's Ken-san?"

"His teacher elected him to lead a project of some sort so he won't be going home until later today. I don't know how long that will keep him busy."

"He should have just turned it down, he doesn't really have to do everything other people request of him."

Kaoru sighed, "I tried to tell him that but he won't listen. Besides, I think it's a part of what makes Kenshin who he is. Its just getting harder and harder to spend time with him…and pretty soon he'll be leaving for college and I don't know how often I'll be able to see him then."

Tae sensed that a change of topic was in order. "Hmmm…neh Kaoru-chan, I've been thinking, you know my mom chairs several charities right?"

Kaoru nodded as they stopped by the lockers and exchanged their school slippers for their street shoes.

"Well, do you remember the clinic we told you about? The one where Misao got her treatment for her leg?"

Kaoru slung her bag over her shoulder and made an affirmative sound as she and Tae walked out of the school building. It was already nearing late afternoon but that was all right, they lived in a secluded place where walls and gates made sure that the residents within were protected.

Tae told her friend about wanting to help out at the clinic. "I thought perhaps I could write a check or something but I'm not sure how he would take it. Father says that some people do not take kindly to…that sort of thing. Do you think I could give him supplies? Nothing really fancy, just some simple medicine, bandages and stuff like that."

Kaoru knew it had something to do with pride. Hiko-san had once explained it to her.

_It's hard to face the fact that you need someone's help…especially when you are a prideful person, you would not want to appear weak or be an object of pity in someone else's eyes. That is why if you are to offer help…make sure that you do it in a way that would keep their pride intact…_

"I think it's sweet Tae. If you want, we can go over to the mall to buy some supplies right now." No one was waiting up for her at home anyway. All she had to do was inform Cook that she'll be returning home late.

Tae smiled, "That's great! Oh and since you only had half a cake for lunch, I'll treat you to some…pasta?"

Kaoru was about to tell Tae that she was full, that she had brought her own lunch and had shared it with Aoshi on the rooftop. Once again, something stopped her from divulging the information. The rooftop had been her own special place of sanctuary…but now it seemed to have been claimed by Aoshi Shinomori. It was clear he didn't want anyone else to know he was there.

If he wanted to be alone, that was his choice.

"Pasta sounds great Tae…just as long as it's free!"

* * *

.

The whole week went by without any opportunity to go and deliver the supplies they had bought for the clinic. Misao was healing quite well and would most likely be returning to school next week or the week after that, depending on her grandfather's overprotective whim. The two girls had told her about their plan and she was very supportive of the endeavor. Misao made them promise to tell Dr. Genzai that she was very thankful for all his help.

Most of Kenshin's free time was now spent trying to complete whatever project it was he was working on. He wasn't really very forthcoming with the details and when Kaoru had asked him why, he explained that it was supposed to be something 'classified'.

Kaoru had just rolled her eyes at him and said that it was silly.

Kaoru and Tae often ate lunch with Sano, Megumi and their other friends in a large picnic table in the courtyard. One day, during lunch, several girls began to question Tae and Kaoru about Aoshi.

"You're so lucky he's your classmate!" 

"_So what's he like?"_

"_I heard he's smart too! Wow, good looking and smart!" _

"_He's so cute, don't you think?"_

Tae and Kaoru didn't really know how to answer these questions. They may be classmates with Aoshi but they weren't close and they explained to the girls that the stoic brunette mostly kept to himself and rarely talked to anyone, if at all.

"_The strong silent time! So cool!" _was the general consensus.

Sano was curious about Shinomori too, but only because he hardly ever saw the guy and because Gracie had mentioned him in passing one time. He knew Aoshi as 'the one who turned down the chance to try-out for the basketball team'. Their school was large and Sano had never really caught a good look at the supposed new guy. "Is the guy even a member of any sports club?"

The answer was in the negative.

Rin, one of Megumi's close friends, commented that she never saw Aoshi during lunchtime or after school either. He always just appeared in the mornings and then left immediately after classes.

It was as if he had disappeared.

The other girls around the table commented on how they would have loved to share lunch with him or simply 'bask in his presence', much to the annoyance of some males seated around the table.

Kaoru smirked slightly but said nothing.

If only the girls knew that there really wasn't anything special about eating lunch with Shinomori-san.

All he'd really done, when she'd had lunch with him, was eat his food.

After a few failed attempts to start some semblance of conversation with him, Kaoru had also given up and just enjoyed the silence.

She hadn't been up to the rooftop again after that first time.

It was now Friday and both Kaoru and Tae had changed their uniforms after school and donned on street clothes, deciding that today would be the day they were delivering the supplies.

"Kaoru can you have your driver bring us there?" Tae asked as she ran a brush over her hair before retying it again.

Kaoru nodded and brought out her cellphone to call home.

A few minutes later, they were on their way.

* * *

.

To say that Kaoru was surprised, would have been an understatement. Her reaction was similar to that of Tae's as she watched the row of houses go by in a blur through the tinted window of the car.

No wonder Shindo-san, her driver, had been surprised when she'd given him the address Tae had relayed to her.

"Aoshi lives…_here_?" Kaoru asked, glancing over at Tae.

Tae nodded. "I was surprised too. The building he lives in isn't really as bad as the others. It's actually pretty nice compared to…some."

"Wow, when you told me he lived in a lower-middle-class neighborhood, you weren't kidding…" Kaoru muttered as she chewed her lip. She'd never been in a place like this before and if her father found out that she'd been here, he'd most likely have a fit.

"Genzai-san says that most of the people he treats in his clinic don't really have much money and that's why he can't pay an assistant that well. Right now, he's operating his clinic alone."

"You know, we really are lucky, aren't we? We have no reason to complain about our lives when other people are actually having to live in an environment like this…" Kaoru murmured. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reconcile the image of Aoshi living in a neighborhood like this one. She related this too Tae and her friend nodded in agreement.

"We're here, Kaoru-san," Shindo announced as the sleek black limo halted gracefully to a stop by a small clinic.

"You can wait here by the car Shindo-san, Tae and I can manage," Kaoru said as she and Tae went over to the back of the car. The compartment had been automatically unlocked by Shindo and they lifted it up to get to the bags of medicine, cotton, bandages and other medical supplies they had shopped for.

When they went inside, they saw that there were several patients waiting to be attended. Dr. Genzai looked up, appearing a little frazzled and when he saw them he immediately recognized Tae and asked after Misao's health. Tae assured him that Misao was getting better.

"This is my friend, Kamiya Kaoru."

Kaoru bowed deeply. "Its very nice to meet you, Genzai-sensei."

Tae then showed the doctor the bagfuls of supplies she and Kaoru had brought. "This is sort of our way of saying thank you, for taking such good care of Misao."

"Oh, you needn't have done that, but I'm glad you did!" he said with a smile.

"Is there anything else we can do for you?" Tae inquired.

"Well…if you don't mind tending to some of the patients…? They need to fill in those papers over there…"

* * *

.

Kaoru sighed as she relaxed in Tae's bed. She'd been invited to dinner and was sleeping over there for the night. Helping out at the clinic had been a novel experience and the girls had discussed returning every now and then to help out as much as they could.

Kaoru remembered the little girl she'd talked to, the one who had Down syndrome. Despite that, the girl had been quite pretty and quite smart for her age. The girl's hand was bleeding from a cut, it wasn't deep enough to require stitches but it still bled quite a lot. It was clear that the young girl's companion was worried sick and Kaoru had tried to ease her worries as much as she could, without actually knowing what she was talking about.

The drive back was long; the neighborhood was quite far away from Kaoru and Tae's community. Even under the dimming light of night, the neighborhood didn't look any more appealing.

Kaoru felt guilty about feeling bad, simply because of her unrequited love for Kenshin.

"What are you thinking about?" Tae asked, turning away from the television to glance at her friend. "You've been quiet since we came back, are you hungry? Dinner won't be served until a little later on, but we can go make a snack if you want."

"No…I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Stuff…"

Tae lifted an eyebrow at her friend's evasive answer. "You know, I think I figured out how Shinomori-san can go to our school," she announced.

Kaoru glanced at her.

"I think, maybe he's under academic scholarship. Toyotama accepts those, right? And he _is_ quite smart."

"That makes sense," Kaoru nodded absently. "You said he worked in a restaurant too, right?"

Tae nodded, reaching up to play with a strand of her hair. "That must explain why he doesn't join any sports club or activity after school. He has to work and he probably commutes to and from school…"

Kaoru remembered the small brown paper bag that had contained Aoshi's lunch.

A sandwich, most likely he'd had a sandwich.

Only a sandwich…the bag didn't look big enough to contain two.

She remembered him eyeing the bento she'd offered.

A sandwich.

One sandwich.

He'd probably been still hungry but he hadn't said anything.

* * *

.

It was Monday and lunchtime, most of the students were filing out of the room talking about how they had spent their weekend or complaining that they still hadn't wanted to go to school.

"Aren't you coming?" Tae asked when Kaoru made no move to get up.

Kaoru shook her head. "No, you go ahead. I have a something I have to do."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No, it's okay."

"I'll see you later then," Tae nodded, waving as she exited the classroom.

Kaoru waited five minutes before she grabbed her bag and headed out. The halls were now thankfully mostly empty and no one really paid heed to her as she walked past with her school bag.

Would he still be there?

She didn't know.

She opened the door that led out on the rooftop.

There he was, only, he wasn't lounging. He was sitting Indian style with a book and a pad of paper in front of him. He was taking a bite out of his sandwich as his eyes perused over a page in his book, his right hand scribbling something on the pad. His headphones were firmly placed over his ears and it kept some of the longer strand of blue-black hair from falling over his eyes.

He didn't see or hear her coming.

When her shadow fell over him, he looked up and narrowed his eyes at her.

He made her feel unwelcome and it was obvious he wanted her gone, but Kaoru didn't pay attention.

She settled down across from him.

He took off his headphones, "What are you doing here?" he asked in monotone but his eyes stated that he was obviously annoyed.

"I happened to go here a lot, even before you started to attend this school," she informed him as she opened her bag and took out her lunch.

Kaoru could feel his laser eyes boring a hole in her skull, but she ignored him.

Finally, he looked away, accepting her presence; like he had the last time she'd joined him.

"Cook prepared more than I could finish, you wanna share?" Kaoru asked, when her bento was laid down between them. It was a rather large box and in it was an assortment of sushi enough for three to four people, depending on their appetite.

Aoshi's icy blue gaze flickered over to Kaoru for a moment, before they settled on the bento box.

He took another bite of his sandwich and went back to writing.

Since he wasn't looking at her anyway, Kaoru rolled her eyes in exasperation. Her eyes caught the equations he was doing and she winced. "You're doing _math _during _lunch_?"

He seemed to bristle at her tone and he looked up to glare at her for a good three seconds before he returned his attention back to his book.

Kaoru peered at the equations and recognized them as the math problems their teacher had asked them to solve for their homework. She had slaved away a good several hours out of her weekend, trying to decipher those hard mathematical equations.

Hours out of her life that she would never get back, all because of a stupid homework!

Her eyes softened.

**_Homework_**.

He was doing them now because he probably hadn't had time to do them…most likely because he was working.

"I hate math, it's the worst subject ever," she declared as she used her chopsticks to pick out a piece of sushi and popped it into her mouth. "I barely pass…and I have to study really hard just so I can. Plus, I think the teacher hates me. Have you noticed how he glares at me in class?" she inched the bento over to him a little bit more. "You should really try some, it's good. Cook always likes to make extra and it hurts her feelings when I have leftovers."

He sighed, shifted a bit before he finally raised his eyes to look at her.

Kaoru had the distinct feeling that if he had had the power to incinerate matter with a glance, she would now be a melted pile of burnt flesh, blood, bones and innards. The mental picture made her wince and Kaoru promised her self to lay off the action/adventure and Slasher fics Sano was so fond of.

She held out an extra pair of chopsticks towards Aoshi.

He looked at her with those icy blue eyes for a long, unblinking moment.

Kaoru wanted to squirm as he seemed to scrutinize her and she barely held back her sigh of relief when he finally took the chopstick from her hand.

Okay, so she'd made herself seem annoying and stupid…but that was okay.

At least now, he was _eating_.

"Itadakimasu," she said with a smile.

"Itadakimasu."

_It's hard to face the fact that you need help…especially when you are a prideful person, you would not want to appear weak or be an object of pity in someone else's eyes. That is why if you are to offer help Tanuki…make sure that you do it in a way that would keep their pride intact…_

* * *

.

**A/N: **Since Kaoru is still in love with Kenshin and doesn't particularly like Aoshi YET, I had to find a way to make her spend more time with Aoshi…hence the feeding sessions. (grins) I hope you enjoyed it! This chapter is a bit longer than what I usually write for this fic…hopefully I can get the next chapter out soon. You guys might be wondering why Kaoru acted a bit ditzy when she was offering Aoshi food. She didn't exactly want him to realize she was _feeding _him so she tried to distract him by making herself be slightly annoying. More of **Aoshi's** **POV** on things coming up in the **next** **chapter**.

**Hayaku – **Hi. As of right now, I plan on finishing this story. Hopefully, I can do it soon but it will be a while since this story is kind of long. However, I do already know how I want to end this fic so it's just a matter of getting there. Glad you enjoy the story, pls review

**Kura**-**sama** – Hi! Thanks for the compliment, it made me smile! I'm glad you enjoy my stories. This fic is an Aoshi/Kaoru/Kenshin love triangle, ultimately it's going to be Aoshi/Kaoru but Kenshin will play a major role in the story and will provide the conflict so there will be lots of Kenshin/Kaoru fluff moments as well. I agree, I love Battousai more than the Kenshin persona. I hope you like this new chapter. Please review! Anonymous – I'm glad you like the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review! 

**Ruby – **Yes! AK ALL THE WAY! (just as long as I'm not writing one of my KBK stories) Hehehe. I'm so glad you like this story. There's an Aoshi/Kaoru Yahoo group where they provide links for more Aoshi/Kaoru stories, just in case you didn't know. Go check it out! I hope you like this chapter, please review!

**Agaxris – **Hi! I'm very happy that you are enjoying this story, I hope you like this new chapter, please review!

**Niki – **Yeah I know, Kenshin doesn't pay enough attention to Kaoru. In the anime Kenshin and Kaoru got together but the ending of their love story was kind of sad and bittersweet with the OVA Sesshouhen…I wonder sometimes what would happen if Kaoru and Aoshi got together? He'll probably accept that government position that was offered to him and he and Kaoru can live long happy lives together! Ha! (But of course I still love Kenshin! Sigh…so hard, they are both so cute.)

**d-strike – **Hi! I LOVED your latest chapter, I'm not sure if I was able to review yet or not but it was hilarious. Ha! Aoshi is drunk and fell asleep on Kaoru! How cute is that? I'm so glad you like my story and I hope you liked this chapter. Please review.

**matsuko – **Hi! Yes, as of now, I do plan on finishing this fic. Of course, major Aoshi/Kaoru fluff will come but right now they are in the 'getting to know you' stage. Right now Kaoru is still in love with Kenshin and I don't want her to fall for Aoshi instantly and forget Kenshin, that would make her character/loyalty a bit weak…but promise, loads of A/K fluff will be coming. I hope you liked this chapter, please review neh?

**cool-fox – **Hi! Gomen nasai, I do try to update fast, promise! I would most likely be updating Back Home To You next. The next chapter of Only With You is in the works, so don't worry I will be updating it, just not exactly sure when. Anyway, I'm really so very happy that you like this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!

**Orchidacea – **Hi! Thanks, I'm glad you like my fic. This chapter is opening up the Aoshi/Kaoru interactions so there will be an increase in A/K moments. Next chapter will be more of Aoshi's thoughts. I hope you liked this chapter, please review.

**Mini-moonstar – **Hi! Glad I'm swinging you over to the Aoshi/Kaoru appreciation club! (grins) They are cute together and I like them as much as Kenshin/Kaoru. Probably because I wanna keep Aoshi far from Misao. Hehehe, I just can't picture them together, no offense to those who like that pairing. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review!

**Thai – **Hey there Thai, here you go, I updated! Hope you liked it! Please review!

**Readit's – **Well it's A/K but Kenshin will play a major part so there will be lots of K/K moments of fluff too so it would be kind of a love triangle. Glad you like this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review.

**Lady Dark Angel – **Glad you liked it, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!

**Pego – **Hi! I LOVE your review! I'm so glad you're starting to like AK because they really are a good pair. (but of course I love Kenshin too) I wrote **Awareness**, it's just a one-shot, set in the normal world of the anime and it's an AK fic, give it a read and see if you like it. Anyway, yeah, I don't want Kaoru to instantly fall for Aoshi. She's in love with Kenshin and she's loyal so she won't fall all over Aoshi just because he's cute. I am also a big fan of 'meaningful silences'. I think too much dialogue sometimes detracts from the poignancy of a moment. I'm really glad you like this fic and hopefully, this chapter didn't disappoint. Please review!

**Alexis Barnes – **here you go, I updated. Hope you liked it, please review.

**Mizu-Ryuuseisui Inc – **I'm glad you like my writing style. I'm always insecure about it coz there's so many writers who write such eloquent pieces that I think my writing sucks but anyway, I like to write so it doesn't really matter to me if I suck or not. It's purely for enjoyment. (grins) I'm glad you like this story and I hope you continue to enjoy my stories! Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter.

**Clemen – **I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one too. Please review!

**Goldmund – **I know, lucky Kaoru huh? Two cute guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!

**Scarlet Rayne – **Hey girl! Thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. Gomen nasai for not being able to E-mail you back. I'm really sorry but I've been busy lately, promise I'll E-mail you as soon as I can! Take care!

**Triste1 – **Hi! I'm glad you are a fussy reader and tell me about my errors. It helps me to improve my writing style. I try to proof read my stuff but when I go to quick edit on the site and sometimes make changes, they end up all wrong like with the 'married words' or certain words getting erased. Sorry about that.

**Videl621 – **Hi! So, are you adjusting nicely to your new home? Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and please review! Thanks.

**MZ. AmbER EYES – **Don't worry, Kenshin's thoughts will be revealed. I'm especially looking forward to writing it because it will serve as a sort of turning point in the story. I hope you liked this chapter, please review! Thanks!

**Pinay Tiger – **hey girl! I haven't read your new fic, the one-shot, I think it's entitled HOME? But I will read it as soon as I have time, promise. Anyway, you know I always appreciate your reviews and views on my stories. They are very helpful and _long_. (grins) I hope you update Unsaid Words…soon. Can't wait! Yeah, in the anime Kenshin is too far-gone in his 'atonement for his sins' thing that he doesn't acknowledge Kaoru. He has special feelings for her but…he doesn't act on them. And then of course there is that OVA where they ended up together but the ending was just…UGH! Too sad. Oh, this is the only Aoshi/Kaoru fic you've ever read so far? (jumps up and down in glee and hugs PT) I enjoy some love at first sight fics, there are those out there that are brilliantly written especially when it's about the unexplainable pull of some cosmic force of other but there's also some love at first sight fics that I find unappealing. The reason is because it just seems shallow to me…I like character development and the evolution of relationships. I'm glad you like how I'm writing this so far, I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment. Oh by the way, did you already finish sending all your college applications? I'm sure you'll get into the university you want!

**Tiaravball15 – **Hi! I'm Filipina too! Have you read d-strike's Anything But Ordinary? It's a cool fic too. Also, try out WhiteRabbit5's Aoshi/Kaoru fic, she's an awesome writer too. Hope you liked this chapter, please review!

**Jbella – **Hi! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Aoshi and Kaoru now have a reason to see each other, so their interactions will grow in number soon. Next chapter is more of Aoshi's POV.

**Fire Kitsune – **Hi! Yup, I can speak Tagalog. Kamusta ka rin? I hope you liked this chapter!

**Kaoru4 – **Hi! I'm glad you like this story, don't worry, more of Aoshi will come in the next chapter! I hope you liked this chapter and please tell me what you thought of it! thanks!

**Brittanie Love – **(hugs) I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I didn't want to make them all OOC. Thanks for always supporting my stories, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review! Thanks!

**Belle Day Night – **Hi! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. I just thought it would be a fun way for them to meet, plus it will be only the two of them and away from prying eyes. I'm not sure if I already reviewed your latest update of TBOI, but I just love it! Kaoru and Aoshi are going off to a foreign country together! Ha! Granted Yahiko and the other boy would be with them, but still! And Misao! Wow, I think her reaction was right on Misao. I'm not very fond of her when it comes to Aoshi. I hope you update it soon and also your Inuyasha fic loss of self…anyway, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Lunatic-cupid – **Oh, you're Filipino/Japanese? That's so cool, do you know how to speak Japanese? How about Filipino? Well, anyway, thanks for the review and I hoped you also enjoyed this chapter.

**Venus goddess – **The Aoshi/Kaoru goodness will only multiply from this point on in the story! (grins) Hope you liked this chapter. Please review

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